Gemini
by Bonwee
Summary: Mattie was never special. She was left alone in Ultron City by her parents. Then she was saved one day by James Rogers, and they fell in love. She lives with the group and has become fast friends. Three years later, Francis, the egotistical archer has to go and throw a wrench in the well-oiled machinery of her life. R&R Please, your words mean this story goes on! James xOCx Francis
1. Chapter 1: In Which We Start The Story

I'm not part of the avengers, I never was, and probably never will be. I mean, I've been in the hellicarrier before and I know my way around some secret underground bases, but that's just because of my boyfriend – Patriot- you know- the son of Captain America and the Black Widow? He's amazing. We've loved each other since he saved me from Ultron's rule in Ultroncity.

...

"Hey Sugar." My hugged me. James had been out all day and had refused to tell me where.

"Hi James." I turned around to give him a kiss. His black and red uniform looked like it had been to hell and back.

"You're hurt! God, I told you! Take someone when you go out to beat up hopeless gang members. Or at least take me!" He laughed and went into the bathroom.

He was against discrimination of all sorts, and he really hated bullies.

"Want me to join you? I've missed you all day." I teased. The steam from the shower humidified the air.

James is as old-fashioned as his dad. We've been together for three years. I fastened my heels and stood up from my bureau.

"Haha, so funny. Get ready for the party." There was to be a big hoopla for the Next Avengers.. James and his adoptive sister and brothers are just awesome. Torunn is my best friend and I've been teaching her all the joys and pitfalls of bad reality TV. Pym and Azari are like my own brothers. Francis… is just Francis. He's like his dad, he's reclusive, and a lady killer, I wouldn't be surprised if he showed up at the party with two or three women… and spent the night with all of them.

"It's you I'm waiting for hot stuff." I went to clasp my necklace around my neck when James swooped in and did it for me, I pressed up against him in his suit.

"Pretty as a picture." He said in reference to our reflection.

"Mhmm," I picked up my clutch and walked with James to the mess hall.

"Heyyyyy lil' Cap." Clint Barton hollered from where he was standing with his wife, Bobbi. Francis was sitting his feet propped up on the table. Torunn ran over to me excitedly, as she hugged me hello she said,

"Best Friend Mattie! I have found a verily great example of a- what was that word again? Oh that is right a… Douche Bag." I laughed.

"Is that right? Who?" James shook his head and walked over to talk to Director Fury.

She looked around to see if anyone was listening in. "Francis." She whispered like it was a big secret.

"Wow, ok, what'd he do this time?" He's been head over heels for Torunn since the day he met her in Ultron city.

"He's acting like that man off of the documentary series… The Shore of New Jersey." I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, I'll go rough him up, Jwoww style." Pym bounced over to me, happy and bubbly.

"Miss Mattie, may I have this dance?" He used his powers to grow up to my size.

"Sure, Henry." His mom and dad laughed together and went to talk to Clint and Bobbi.

Francis launched a fork at James' head when he leaned in to kiss me after the last dance. I shot him a look that would curdle milk.

I walked over to him and threw the fork at his face as he grabbed it, his mom and dad backed away, I'd looked up Clint and he knows it's best to leave an angry woman alone.

"What's your problem, Barton?" he smirked at me.

"Why, whatever do you mean, Ms. LeBeau?" I took a deep breath.

"Why do you feel the need to interrupt James and I by being such a douche bag ?"

"Why do you think I care about you and Mr. Stars and Stripes?" He picked up the fork again, twirling it around his fingers. I took it back and stabbed it into the table to my pleasure, it stuck.

"Answer me, Francis." I spat. James came over to tell me not to make a scene. I walked away and back to our rooms.

James was asleep. I snuck out, I was really full of pent up anger… at nothing really. I was finally going to try it. I was going to start my training to see if that would make me feel better about not being super powered.

"Going somewhere, M?" James was leaning in his doorway, in his boxers. I cringed and turned around.

"If I say I'm going to get some tampons, will you let me leave?" He gave me this stupid, infuriating look that says 'I'm tired of this shit and you need to just stop, but I'm too nice to say it'.

"Mattie, where are you going? Fury and Hill told you after the last time, you aren't supposed to go out alone." He was referring to the incident in which I caused one of the computer stations to shut down and caused a massive blackout on three decks of the carrier.

"James, I love you." I sauntered over to him, trying to seduce him. I bit my lip, and twisted my fingers in his hair. I kissed him deeply. I reached around him and knotted my fingers in his hair.

"Stop, you know how I feel about that." I pushed him away from me.

"What's you problem?" I snapped. I slammed my door shut. I wouldn't go out tonight.

"I'm sorry." I slid the bacon and eggs onto the plate in front of James. "For last night, I don't know what was wrong with me." He picked up his fork and started eating.

"Where were you even planning on going?" He asked between bites.

"I just wanted to go… fight or shot stuff I guess." I shrugged and put the pan in the sink. Sitting down across from him sipping my orange juice… I waited for a reaction.

"Why? I can protect you, you're safe here." I wanted to be like his mother… well after she came to S.H.E.I.L.D. I wanted to kick ass and take names.

"It's not that, I just feel like… I'm trapped and I need to be able to stand on my own two feet and deal out some serious ass whoopings." He stopped eating and stood up.

"C'mon then," He scraped off his plate and put it in the sink.

"What?" I stood up.

"You want to fight then we'll go fight." He went in his room to get his shield projector.

...

"No, like this," he showed me the correct stance and I tried again to swipe him off his feet again. He blocked it and I fell to the ground.

"Shit! I can't get this James, can we just move on?" I said, infuriated. He stood over me with his hand outstretched to help me up. I took it and pulled him down on top of me. I was hot and sweating, but he was calm and not even breathing irregularly. I kissed him. Kissing me back, he put his hands on either side of my head and pushed me back down against the floor. An arrow whizzed right above us and landed solidly in the mat.

"Hey, Spangly, this is a training facility, not a bedroom, get up and finish your fight or get out and finish your business somewhere else." It was none other than the _magnificent_ Francis. Something in his tone just really pissed me off. I got up and pulled the arrow out of the target and stomped over to him. I got up in his face and growled. James walked over and took the arrow out of my hand. Francis dropped his bow and grabbed my face and kissed me. James pulled him off of me and hit him as hard as he possibly could.

"James!" I screamed. They were both rolling around on the ground and hitting each other as hard as they possibly could, James had the upper hand. Azari and Pym ran in and pulled them apart. I ran to James and hugged him.

"Are you okay?" I whispered. I was about to cry- which was stupid he's been in worse fights before. He kissed my forehead.

"Are you?" I could see the fury in his eyes.

I took James' hand and went back to our quarters.

...

That night I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about the fight.

And the kiss.

Mostly the kiss, because I hated myself, I really hated myself because I liked it.

...

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	2. Chapter 2: In Which a Status is Changed

So... Here's chapter two! Maybe you guys just need a little more of a push to review it, eh? Okay!

...

"Mattie, earth to Mattie." I jolted up from my daydream about the training room.

"Yeah, Tournn?" We were watching some more reality TV and eating ice cream out of the tub.

"Best friend Mattie, you seem distracted." She turned off the TV and starred me straight in the eyes. This was serious.

"It's nothing, really, I'm just tired." I flopped back onto the couch.

"Is this about Francis or James?"

"I really don't know anymore." She put the ice cream on the coffee table.

"Tell me, I willst listen, friend."

"Are you sure?" she nodded. "Okay, well you know about the other day, Barton… he kissed me. And I liked it… a little-I think-and then yesterday, James was acting funny…"

"Funny… how?"

"Well he was acting like he actually wanted us to be… intimate," I tried to put it as coyly as I could. It wasn't like he came out and said it; just like in his actions. He reached up under my shirt and rubbed my back, and then we made out on the couch, just stuff like that. But he shut down as soon as I had tried to pull off his shirt.

"Oh, he wants thee to have sex? I thought that's what thou wanted."

"I do its just I think he feels… threatened by Francis, even though there's not a snowball's chance in hell anything would happen between us." Torunn gave me a funny look.

"Spill it, chick, what is it?" She looked like she was battling herself.

"It's something I heard the other day over the radio when we were doing the rounds." She bit her lip and looked around like someone was listening.

"What is it? Go ahead, it's okay."

"Well, I think that… I think that Francis likes someone, like a real heartfelt feeling, not just a one night stand."

"That's… strange." Francis wasn't one to settle for just one girl, well people thought the same about his father, until he met Bobbi.

Someone knocked on the door to Torunn's room. She picked up her sword and went to answer it.

"Mattie?" I stood up. It was Captain America.

"Sir?" I walked to the door. I've talked to him before and stuff, but never when I wasn't with James.

"It's James, he's gone out on a mission and he wanted me to give you this." He handed me a data pod.

"Thank you, Captain." He laughed.

"Call me Steve, Mattie, we've known each other long enough."

"Okay, Steve." He nodded to both of us and left. Torunn shut the door and ran over to me.

"Well, aren't you going to look at it?!" She ran and got her tablet. I handed the little device to her she plugged it in and James popped up on the screen.

"M, there are some things I need to tell you, and I didn't have the time; or the nerve to do it in person." There was a sound in the background, shouting. "I-I-I need to tell you I love you, I will _always_ love you. I think, though, that we need a break, some time we can both breathe easier. I'm sorry I did this like this, but I needed to. You can throw my stuff out or just leave it. Goodbye, Mattie, I'm sorry." His face was ashen and his words strained.

By that time, I wasn't listening even. I slammed out of Torunn's room and down the hallway the S.H.E.I.L.D. agents were giving me strange looks and Clint Barton—almost- stopped me. I literally ran into Francis, he had his bow with him, like usual. He also had that cocky, arrogant look that was just bucking to say something sarcastic and mean.

"Not know, Barton." I snapped before he could say anything. He caught my arm and said,

"Mattie? What the hell happened? What did he do to you?"

"It doesn't matter to you, so let me go." He didn't.

"God, you're stubborn. Come with me." He pulled me into a room. I sat down in a chair. Barton took his bow off and kneeled down in front of me. I don't know when I had started, but now I was crying, like ugly, snotty sobs. "Tell me. Now." He growled, angry.

"'Need a break' he said," I choked out, holding my head in my hands. Barton hit a wall.

"God dammnit! I knew it! Idiot!" He came back over to me tried to calm me down.

_Two days later,_

"Best friend Mattie!" Torunn came running up to me while I was getting food from the mess hall line. I jumped when she put her hand on my shoulder.

"Hey Torunn." She jumped when she saw my face.

"Friend, you look … bad." I had dark circles under my eyes and my hair was in knots.

"I know." I picked up a bottle of water and a bowl of fruit. I paid for it and walked back to my room with Torunn.

"But… Mattie. James is coming back this eve and you should talk about that with him, he's probably changed his mind now." She pleaded. It didn't sound half bad…

"There, best friend Mattie, you look beautiful." She sprayed a little more hairspray on my curls. I grabbed my bag and Torunn came with me to the antechamber to wait with Cap. Widow and Director Fury would be there shortly. Steve came over and put a hand on my shoulder and smiled. I couldn't punch Captain America's kid right in front of him. The jet touched down, the crew ran out and secured it while the pilot and James helped.

James ran inside- his hair was all windblown- I bit my lip. He wouldn't meet my eyes as he hugged his parents. I riffled through my bag and pulled out the data pod. He came over to Torunn and hugged her, she shook her head. He stood in front of me for a minute and I grabbed his hand and pulled it up so his palm was up. I met his eyes and placed the worst Dear John letter ever in his palm, curled his fingers up around it, his head dropped.

"Mattie…" He said quietly. I just walked away.

"Barton?" I yelled. He was always in the training room shooting at something. An arrow flew past my head and landed solidly in the target.

"What?" Barton jumped from his perch right in front of me. He leaned on his bow and ruffled his white hair.

"He's back, you told me to tell you when he came back. Okay?" I turned to leave. Francis hugged me. It wasn't creepy, but it was strange that he was being so sincere.

"It'll be okay, I'll fix that bastard." He slammed out of the room. I followed him to the debriefing room. James walked out. He wasn't talking to anyone or smiling. Barton slammed him against the wall.

"What the hell were you thinking?" He hissed at him. James cast his eyes at the floor.

"Mattie?" He said quietly. I looked James in the eyes. "Get off me, Hawkeye." He shoved him off and came over to me and putting his hands on my shoulders. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking." He pushed my hair behind my ears, letting go when I pushed him away.

"Maybe you were right, maybe we do need a break, if you said it, that means you thought it." I pulled away from him.

"But! Mattie? Mattie! Don't walk away." I was already gone.

...

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	3. Chapter 3: In Which We Meet Someone New

Third Time's a charm!

...

"Best friend Mattie, I will be sad to see you go. You could stay here. The Next Avengers are due for a month of R and R in a few weeks… You could stay until then and then we could do something together." She asked pleadingly.

"That sounds fun, Torunn, but I feel like I'm suffocating. I need a break." I handed her the piece of paper that had my cell phone number on it. "Here, goodbye, Torunn." I hugged her goodbye and ran out to the tarmac.

Clint Barton flew me to the small town I'd picked to stay in.

"Thanks Mr. Barton, oh, could you do something for me?" He nodded. "Don't tell anyone where I am, please, I don't want to distract anyone from their work. Thanks." I grabbed my suitcase and walked out onto the grassy area where he had landed.

"Be safe Mattie." He took off.

"Awesome," I started walking to the main street of the town; I think the name was like Stonybrook or something. I found a little Bed and Breakfast.

"Hello?" I said, the check in table was empty. I looked around. "Is there a room I can rent for a while?" A woman came out with a sign that said, 'no room for runaways', and hobbled back to the back room.

"Okay then…"

Dear Reader, I'm sure that you're wondering why I wasn't staying with my parents. The short answer is; they're dead. That's all there is to it.

I walked down the main street till I came to a little café and went inside. The elderly man at the counter smiled at me and beckoned me over.

"Are you new in town, miss?" he poured a cup of coffee for a woman and rang up a check.

"Yeah, anywhere around here to stay the night?" I sat down on one of the stools.

"Well, can you waitress?"

"I guess I can, maybe."

_Three weeks later,_

"Mr. Whitmore, table 4 wants to talk to you real quick, and the lady at table 9's complaining about her food… again."

I jumped into the kitchen to get some more toast and oatmeal while Mr. W went to see to those tables. I ran the food to the couple with the cute baby and then picked up the dishes. The doorbell jingled and I turned to give them their menus when I saw that it was someone I really didn't want to see; James. I was over the Dear John thing but I had still left. I didn't tell anyone except the Older Hawkeye about it.

"Welcome to the Stonybrook café, I'm Mattie and I'll be your waitress, can I start you off with a drink?" I lead him to a booth. I waited for him to order something. He just gave me this sad puppy dog look. "Are you going to order, sir?" Mr. W came over and told me I should take the rest of the day off and that I needed the break, I hadn't stopped working since I got there. I handed him the order pad and untied my apron. I left through the back door. I didn't know where to go besides the park, so I started walking.

_How did he even find me? I told Clint not to tell anyone_. I kicked a rock and sent it flying up into a tree.

A bug buzzed up to my ear, I swatted at it.

"Hey!" The bug screeched. I jumped back. Pym grew into a regular size in front of me.

"Pym?" I hugged him. He laughed.

"Mattie, didja miss me?" I smiled, I had missed them all terribly. Azari jumped down from the tree and bounded over to give me a hug.

"Mattie, you shouldn't have left! Nothing was the same." Torunn ran to me with James sulking behind her. She threw me backwards with the force of her hug.

"Best Friend Mattie! I'm so excited to see you, we must celebrate this reunion!" James kicked a pebble across the street, everyone, including me, were waiting for him to say something.

"What are you guys doing here? Don't you have to be saving the world from imminent danger?" A smile played against James' lips. He remembered…

_When we first met,_

_I was a filthy mess, hiding from the robots in Ultron city. I was underground. I heard cheering and clapping, I scrambled to the surface to see a parade of sorts; there were five kids and an adult. Everyone was cheering and the kids were smiling like they had just killed Ultron._

_"Ultron is dead! Ultron is gone for good!" Everybody was cheering, the crowd was pushing me towards the road, and I was pushed out into the thoroughfare, where James pulled me up beside him. I felt so dirty and worthless next to all of them. Francis smirked at my clothes and the girls were cheering for him even more than the rest of them. James smiled at me, only me. Torunn was holding her sword high and Francis shot some fireworks into the sky. They had taken me to a huge underground base where I finally got my first real meal in weeks. I got a set of new clothes and a hot shower, I really didn't know what was happening until James asked me if I wanted to stay with the group._

_Of course I said yes!_

_A couple of weeks later, the original Avengers showed up, along with many of the other superhero's that had been missing for 13 years. The kids were ecstatic to see their parents again. I had grown to be their friends and James asked me to be his girlfriend by taking me rock climbing and then asking me when we reached the top. I had hugged him and kissed him and loved his for 3 and half years, but I guess that wasn't enough._

"Best friend Mattie? Would you please talk to James?" She pushed me in his direction. The others backed up.

"James?" I asked.

"I'm sorry, for what I said."

"Where are we then?" I asked him, putting my hand on his forearm.

"I think we need to learn how to be friends, again." I nodded.

"Okay, I can do that." He smiled. An arrow flew into an electric pole.

"Now that all that mushy shit is over. Can we just go somewhere nice for a change, that's not in the United States… or Canada?" Francis stopped his bike and jumped off right in front of me. I hadn't even thought about what happened after he found me the day James broke up with me.

_He held me, rocked me back and forth, soothing me. He let me sleep in his bed. He made me breakfast and sent me back to my room. He checked on me throughout the day, and then James came back. _

Francis hugged me tightly and laughed against my neck. I hugged him back, he smelled like motor oil and heat, I reached around to his quiver and pulled out an arrow. He grabbed my hand and took it back.

"No, you aren't ready for this." James' jaw tensed up. Pym was just staring at us slack-jowled. Torunn's eyes showed that she was putting the pieces together. I tried not to smile.

"So you guys, do you wanna see where I live now?" Barton cruised beside us on his motorcycle as I caught up with my friends. Pym held my hand in a friendly way and they stopped dead in front of my little house.

"Where is the house?" Azari asked, he looked to the side and then he ran to the other side.

"Right here," I felt embarrassment where a moment before had been pride, "I know it's small, but rent and utilities are free as long as I work in the Café…" I unlocked the door and held it open for my friends. Torunn walked confidently in and then the rest of them followed, James looked like he was about to say something, but didn't. Barton parked his bike and kicked back on my couch.

"It's… quaint…" Pym said, he shrunk down to bug size and flew over to sit on my shoulder. Azari's eyes darted around; he shared his mother's claustrophobia. I ran and opened all the windows to let in a breeze.

"Az, are you okay? We can go in the backyard, if that'd be better." He shook his head, Az was strong. Pym pulled my hair,

"Psst!" He said in my ear. "Hawkeye, three o'clock." Barton was pulling back the string on his bow with an arrow, he was pointing it out the window.

"What the hell are you doing?" I ran over and tried to get him to stop, he let the arrow go.

"Come with me," Pym flew off as Barton pulled me out of the house and into the backyard. "Look!" There was a stranger struggling to free himself from the arrow. "Who the hell are you and why were you watching us?" he pressed the end of his bow against the other's throat.

"I was-ngh- looking for the Next Avengers." He choked out. Hawkeye put his arm out to keep me back.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Benji… Benji Banner." He started to twitch funny. His skin was starting to turn a little greenish. "Son of Bruce and Betty Banner." Hawkeye pulled away from him and put me behind him. The boy's body was writhing and rippling.


	4. Chapter 4: In Which a Bomb is Dropped

"Avengers Assemble!" Francis yelled. The guy ran out and got in formation.

"Barton! What've you done now?" James yelled, he flipped his holographic shield on and took the spear-head point. Azari turned into his lighting-panther Pym grew to his very tallest.

The boy was screaming, it hurt my heart. He was holding his head and pulling at his hair.

"Calm down, Benji, calm down." I'd done my research on the Hulk. It'd be natural that the boy would have the same problem. He looked at me, tears in his eyes. I pushed my way between Hawkeye and Patriot. James handed me his shield, I put it on the ground and it vanished.

"Mattie…" Hawkeye said softly. I shook my head.

"Benji? Can you hear me Benji?" I moved closer, inch by inch. "Hey, hon, calm down, that's a good guy, deep breaths, c'mon, it's okay." I put my hand gently on his arm and he started taking deep breaths. He stopped twitching and went down to his normal size, his clothes… on the other hand… did not. He hung his head, he felt clammy and sick, Hawkeye and James helped him inside.

I tucked him in my bed and dabbed the sweat off of his forehead. He was a very handsome boy, I little older than us, but that doesn't mean much. His dad was the biggest bad ass in the avengers, I wasn't going to let him leave. I shut off the light and closed the door. James attacked me. He wrapped his arms around me.

"What the heck were you thinking? That's the Hulk's son! I was so worried about you. Why didn't you take the shield? God, I'm so glad you safe." He squeezed my tightly. I let him hug me, he kissed my forehead. I patted his arm and walked to the kitchen to see what I could fix for dinner.

Hawkeye was in there, waiting for me, peeling and apple with his knife. He threw them both down and came over to me. He pushed me up against the fridge.

"Don't. Ever. Do. That. Again." He pressed his face into my hair, but he pulled away from me and leaned back up against the counter as Pym flew in. I felt like I was being bounced around form boy to boy and I was getting whiplash.

"Mattie, do you want to stay with us? Tony bought us our own 'Next Avengers Mansion'. You wouldn't have to work anymore! We could see each other every day!" He grew to his normal size. I saw him look at Francis and then back at me.

"Where?" I pulled out a pack of hamburger and some french fries. "Tony's back in town? That's awesome, how is he?" Pym brushed at an invisible speck of dirt on his yellow armor.

"Not exactly, he's staying in space with Pepper." He shrugged, I knew that hurt them all, Tony was like a father to them, he had raised all of them except Francis. I started to cut up some pineapple.

"I'm sorry." Azari bounded inside and grabbed an apple out of the bowl and kept running,

"I will smite thee cat!" Torunn chased after him wearing only a towel, she never had any flaws with her body. Francis started laughing. Pym's eyes were huge. I just shook my head.

"Don't tear up the house, please!" I yelled. I heard a crash and I put my head down on the counter. "What did they break?" I whimpered.

"Best friend Mattie?" I looked at Torunn and she held out the object.

"Yeah? Just tell me what it is." I didn't want to look at it.

"It's you picture, you know, the one with you and James is clothes from the 40's." I held my hand out. I looked at the picture. The frame was completely smashed. The glass was gone. I pulled the picture out and threw the frame away.

"Please, go get dressed. I'll make supper." I pushed it into the corner of the cabinet door.

"I'm sorry, Mattie." Az apologized.

"It's okay, it could've been worse." Pym patted my shoulder and left. Hawkeye was tightening the tip on one of his arrows.

"Do you want me to help you?" he asked. I shrugged.

"If you can work a grill, you can cook the burgers." He took them from me and went outside.

I went to check in on Benji, he was tossing and turning, he was still clammy. I put my hand to his forehead and his eyes snapped open. I pulled it away. He leaned up,

"I'm sorry," he looked so pitiful.

"You're fine. I'm sure James will want to talk to you later, supper will be ready soon. I could bring it in to you." He shook his head.

"Um, do you have any pants I could wear?" I nodded and riffled through my drawers. I handed him a pair of James' old sweat pants. "Thanks." I patted his leg and let him have some privacy.

I flipped over and cuddled against James. His arm went around my back. I sighed.

"Good morning," he kissed my forehead. I didn't want to get up. I smelled something burning. I shot up. I was sleeping on the hide-a-bed in my couch and there was smoke billowing out of my kitchen. Hawkeye was right behind me. Wait. I turned around, confused. Never mind. I guess I had slept out on the couch or something…

"What's going on here?" I yelled. Azari was fanning the smoke away from a pan. He gave me a helpless look. I opened up the window to let relieve the smoke. Once it cleared, he held up the pan and asked innocently,

"Pancake?" I took a deep breath.

"What happened last night, why was I in the same bed as you?" I backed Hawkeye into a corner. He just came me a 'what do you mean?' look.

"C'mon, Francis." I don't know what happened after I checked on Benji when he went to sleep in the bedroom Aze slept outside, Pym slept… somewhere and the others just found somewhere to crash. I remember watching TV…

"Oh! Never mind, uh…" He ran outside, dodging the question. I went to pack my stuff- the guys had talked me into going to live with them for a while. I threw my clothes into my suitcase. Benji stood in the doorway awkwardly.

"Hey, B," I flopped down on my bed; I was going to miss this place.

"Hey," He put his hand on his neck self-consciously.

"I was wondering, how old are you? I didn't think that Bruce and Betty ever hand any kids, and they were both kinda… old-ish, when I saw them…"

"I'm closer to 19, but I was grown in a lab, these people stole my parents DNA and made me… I guess." I nodded.

"Bummer," I stood up and started to straighten up the bed. Benji came over to help me. "Oh! You don't have to do that!" He shrugged.

"At least you know who your parents are."

"Huh?" He grabbed my suit case for me.

"You know, I grew up on the streets of Ultron city, don't remember my parents." I walked into the living room. Everyone was talking and laughing. Hawkeye and James stood up when they saw me. I took my suitcase from Benji. I left the house keys on the coffee table with a note about where I was going.

"Ready, M?" James grabbed my bag.

"Yeah, this'll be fun, right?" Pym flew by my ear and snuggled against my neck.

"Mattie," Hawkeye held me back, everyone was piling into the car they had rented. James was waiting for me to come to the car. Benji looked uncomfortable being in the confined space. "You wanna ride with me?" I nodded. He handed me a helmet and put his sunglasses on. His bow attached to the side. I held on tightly as he took off down the street, Pym held on for dear life. He popped a wheelie I squealed with delight.

_Two day later,_

"This place is awesome! Have you seen the movie theater? How about the pool? Why are you all so… chill?" I slowed my running through the halls of this beautiful house. Everyone else was just kinda ambling after me.

"You're just so excited… and this isn't that impressive." Azari said sadly.

"But it is amazing! You have everything you could possibly want!" I twirled around and around in the hallway. Torunn smiled.

"Guys?" James said. Everyone turned to look at him. "Our parents are on the video screen; they want to talk to us. Benji, uh, could you and Mattie stay out here please?" I looked at the pictures hanging on the wall.

"Hey, B. Do you know who these people are?" He looked at the picture of this big group of funnily dressed people. There was a bald guy in a wheel chair, with a really pretty red-head hanging on a guy with red glasses. In the back there was a girl with a white streak in her hair and she was leaning on a guy who looked like a pimp, he had a Bo stick and a pack of cards; but they both looked like they could kick your ass with a smile on their face. There sure were a lot of them; they looked like one big dysfunctional family.

"Oh, those are the X-men." I looked at him. "You know mutants…"

"Who?" I hadn't ever heard about them.

"They were genetically gifted, like this guy," he pointed at the bald guy, "Charles Xavier, he was the strongest Telepath in the world until that lady," he pointed to the red head, "Became the Phoenix, life incarnate." I nodded, I followed the story. "Oh! This girl," He pointed to a girl with a yellow rain coat and pink sunglasses, "Her name was Jubilee, she turned into a Vampire. These two," he was talking about the kick ass couple in the back, "Are Rogue and Gambit, they were awesome, Gambit had a little bit of a woman problem… he liked them all. Rogue's power was pretty insane, whenever she touched anyone, she'd absorb that person's memories, powers, and life. No one really knows where they ended up." He looked so happy telling me about these people.

"How do you know all this stuff?" I pulled him down the wall of pictures with me.

"I just picked it up, I guess." He was so calm, so much different than his crazy form, we still hadn't come up with a superhero name for him, we didn't want to use the hulk, but it looks like we'll have to.

"Do you want to play a prank on the others?" I joked.

"Like what?" He had a mischievous look in his eyes. His forehead touched mine. I smiled he knew what I wanted to do to them. The others ran out of the room and Benji started growling and shaking, but he was just faking it. The others didn't know it, though. I jumped in front of him when they went into battle-mode. Hawkeye was about to charge with his knife. The look on their face was priceless. It was horribly mean, but it was just… worth it.

"Joking! Just kidding!" I yelled. Benji laughed really hard.

"You thought…. Ha! You really underestimate me, my friends. I'm different from my dad. I have to feel a real threat to turn into that ball of joy you saw the other day." Hawkeye put his knife away and James pulled me behind him. I went back over to Ben.

"So what did your parents want?" I put my hand in the crook of his arm. Hawkeye rolled his eyes and left.

"Our parents are going to be here with us, just for a while," Pym chipped in.

"My parents are staying in Asgard, for now." Torunn snipped. She eyed Benji appraisingly. She was totally smitten.

"Okay, so we need to go see what the kitchen has right? How many people will be eating?" I did a quick tally.

"Fourteen." Benji said, "Azari's mom is a mutant."

"Was she in the picture?" I asked, running down the hall to where it hung. I pulled it off the wall and skidded to a stop in front of another picture on the wall.

"What is it?"

"Mattie?

"Best-friend Mattie?" I stared at the picture, not believing what I saw.

"Oh my God!" Pym said. The kick-ass couple in the background of the big picture were standing on the steps of a big mansion that said 'Xavier's school for gifted youngsters'. But that wasn't what was strange, they were holding two babies, a brown headed little girl with an 'M' monagrammed on her onezie and there was a boy who looked like his father, red eyes and all. I pulled the picture out of the frame and looked to see if anything was written on the back,

"Mattie and Milo,

Your momma and papa love you two sugas, don't you ever forget that.

Love,

Anna Marie and Remy LeBeau." I dropped both of the pictures. I heard the glass shatter from the group photo.

"It's… me."

...

Duh Duh DUUUUUUUH! I know, you didn't ask for it, but you sugas want it, I can tell.

As Always, Read and Reveiw. Tell me what you love or hate. I don't care which! Just tell me something!


	5. Chapter 5: In Which X-Genes Pop Up

Chilluns... I've put my soul in this story, all i'm asking for is a little less hesitation and a little more conversation... :(

...

"Mattie?" I was on the computer down in the basement. "I'm coming in." The door was forced open.

"What?" I asked. I typed in 'LeBeau'.

"I'm worried about you, everyone is worried about you, why don't you come upstairs, you haven't eaten." James put his hands on my shoulders.

The search results just mentioned some petty thefts and fights down in the French Quarter.

I hit on something big; LeBeau, Remy Etienne 'Gambit'. I hit print, the paper started working its way through the press. I typed in Anna Marie, 'Rogue'. I printed out all I could find on her.

"James, these could be my parents, this," I pointed to the other baby in the picture, "This could be my brother!" He gave me a sad smile. He picked up all the papers I had printed out.

"Or, you could be chasing after a coincidence." He took my arm and led me upstairs. It was so _loud_. The adults were all laughing and talking Thor was here and there were to be many celebrations at the turning of his daughter's 16th year. Torunn was planning out a celebration that would make Asgard cry with jealousy. I put the papers on a side table and went to find Storm, Aze's mother.

"Like this, Azari," she was showing him how to control his electricity better.

"Uh, Mrs. Munroe?" She turned and smiled at me.

"Good afternoon, Ms. LeBeau. I hear you've had some big news." I nodded.

"Did you know them?" I asked, feeling incredibly unimportant because I was watching Azari make a huge panther out of electricity and I couldn't do anything.

"Oh, yes! They were both fine, fine people." She smiled. "If you don't mind, I'll tell you about them over dinner tonight, if I can get a word in edgewise." She smiled.

"And then, you papa charged the pole with kinetic energy and it flew into the air, knocking the ship out of the sky!" She laughed. Everyone was smiling remembering the good old days. I just had this twisiting feeling in my stomach, I was starting to feel sick.

"May I be excused?" I walked out of the room and through a door. I didn't know where I was going, I just needed to think, for a moment. My parents were such great heroes, my friends and their parents are all amazing and they will all have done something important, they are all heroes. What am I?

"I'm nothing, my parents didn't even want me." I slumped against a tree and opened the packet of papers I had printed out. "To think, these last couple of years I thought I was going to turn out to be special."

I leaned back against the tree. I was going to turn into another Jarvis, or maybe a Bucky Barnes. I started to throw pebbles into the pond in front of me. I still couldn't believe I was living somewhere as nice as this. After the streets, the Hellicarrier felt like heaven, then I had my own house, which actually felt… homier than this. I really haven't got to talk to any of my friends that much, and I really wanted to help Torunn plan her super sweet 16.

Do you like the silence, or is it just the moonlight?

"Francis?" I thought for sure he and his father would be having some sort of shoot-out.

"You sound surprised, I do kinda live here, too." He tightened the tip on one of his arrows. I leaned my head on his shoulder. He put his arm around me.

"Do you think I'm plain?" I held the papers about my parents' life closer.

"Far from it, I think that you are the most wonderful person in the world, super-powered or not." I smiled, he was pretty damn awesome. He's less of a douche now. He put his bow down beside him along with his arrow. He nuzzled his face against my hair.

"Really?" I flipped through the papers, it was getting dark fast, so I couldn't read them till I got back inside, but I wasn't going to rush because right now felt really good. His warmth felt good.

"Get up, Hawkeye." James pushed him with his foot. He groaned and held me tighter. I opened my eyes and got a face-full of Pym. Azari were trying

"Huh?" Francis stood up, he dusted off his clothes.

"Mattie? What happened last night?" Pym asked. He pulled me up. I picked up my packet of papers.

"Hm?" James drug Hawkeye back to the house.

"Did he do anything to you?"

"Pym, nothing happened. I guess I just got tired so I fell asleep."

"With Francis!" Henry Pym Jr. was one of the best friends I have. He's sweet and kind, but he has a terrible crush on me.

"Nothing happened, okay?" He took my hand.

Torunn ran over to me.

"Mattie! How do you get a playlist on this music player?" She held out an iPod. I set it all up for her.

"There you go, now just click the songs you want." She smiled and ran back inside. I heard a deep growling come from behind us, I turned around to see a huge panther, Aze, it looked like it was about to pounce on us. Pym grew to his giant size and batted it away. Aze skidded to a stop.

"Just a smidge more gently next time, Pym, okay?" He said, laughing breathlessly.

"That was awesome, how'd you do that?" Henry picked up the dark skinned boy.

"Dad, taught me." His dad pounced at and grabbed Aze.

"Azari, I told you not to use the panther form until we had told everyone." T'Challa, King of Wakanda said.

"Yes, Father." Aze hung his head.

"Ms. LeBeau, Mr. Pym." We nodded to the King.

"Everyone? I'd like to have everyone's attention please." I stood up. Everyone stopped talking and looked at me. "I've only known you for a few years, but I know you are all great people. I don't want you to worry about me not being able to defend myself, so, I know this might just be selfish of me, but I'd really love it if you all could teach me how to fight, I know I don't have super powers, but I'd like to be able to take care of myself if something were to happen." I paused, gaging each of their reactions. "And, if it isn't too much trouble I'd like you to teach me all you know about the past, so I can better the future. I want to be as great as my parents were and I want to be someone my parents would be proud of. Thank you." I sat down. There was a long pause. Storm was the first to speak.

"Yes, I'll teach you."

"Aye, you have been a mighty friend to me daughter," He clapped Torunn on the shoulder. "I will also help you."

"Bobbi and I will teach you all the stuff we know, Francis seems to be smitten with you." Francis punched his dad's shoulder, hard.

"Steve?" Natasha asked her husband. He seemed to be thinking about this very hard.

"Yes, I'll do it, 'Tasha will too."

"I could help you, I know I'm not really an adult but I'm pretty damn good at first aid, and history." Benji shrugged.

"Jan?" Pym's mom smiled and nodded. "And as long as your brain doesn't explode, I'll try to teach all the stuff I have locked up in my brain." Hank, Pym's dad said. I sighed with relief, this would be awesome.

"I hope I can get most of it in within the rest of the month…" Everyone had an uneasy look on their faces. "What?" Were they leaving before that?

"Mattie," James put his hand on my arm, "We aren't going back."

"What? You guys have to go back! You're the Avengers."

"We quit being S.H.E.I.L.D. agents, they were getting to secretive." Steve said quickly.

"Oh…"

"Ya."

"I can help you guys!" I didn't know how I could, but I could. "Uh, could we start with the training stuff tomorrow, bright and early, Storm?"

"Sure," I smiled.

"Like this," I thrust the Bo staff at the Black Panther, he flickered one way and I caught him in the side. His eyes got huge.

"What!" Aze laughed. "Wow, how did you do that, Mattie?"

"I don't know; I just felt like he was going that way." I shrugged.

"Mom!" Storm flew over on a gust of wind.

"What is it?" She landed softly on the grass.

"Mattie hit dad!" She smiled.

"You're doing very good, Mattie."

"Thank you." I collapsed the Bo staff and hooked it on my back. I went inside to get a drink before I listened to Hank Pym teach me about Biochemistry.

"Hey Mattie!" Benji ran up behind me and picked me up.

"Yeah? What is it? Put me down please." He shook his head.

"No-can-do-magoo." He ran with me down to the basement.

"What is it?" He put me down and unlocked one of the doors.

"Look at this!" He showed me a test tube. It looked like it had hair in it.

"What is it…"I though he went off the deep end.

"I was looking through some old boxes and found this! It's your mom's DNA."

"Nu-uh, all the stuff about the x-men had been lost or destroyed." I took the vial from him.

"Be careful. We need to compare your DNA to hers so we can see if you're really related." I sat the vial down on the table, he reached for my sleeve.

"I'll do it." I took off my jacket and he pulled my arm out. I giggled.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing, it's just the look on your face' you seem so concentrated on getting my blood." I laughed.

"Okay?" He sat the needle down, "I forgot to sterilize the area." He picked up an alcohol swab. I liked the cool feeling it left on me skin. He went stabbed my arm, I flinched a little when I saw my blood flow out into a tube. He turned to grab a Band-Aid when the door flew open.

"What the Hell are you doing to her?" James yelled. He ran to pull me away from Ben, I snapped out my Bo staff and pushed him away. He pushed it out away and charged Benji with his shield at the ready; he pushed him up against the wall.

"James! Get away from him." Ben was trying so hard to not shake; he was trying to control his instincts. I was so scared that something would happen to either of them, I just reached for them, and they were both pushed away from each other. James was hanging in the air; Benji had collapsed on the floor. "Stop. Now." I glared. James dropped from the air. He scampered back against the wall.

"What was that, Mattie?" He said in disbelief.

"What?" I was wringing my hands.

"The… what's it called…Psychokinesis." He stood up cautiously.

"I just didn't want either of you to get hurt…" I whispered. I pulled the needle out of my arm and sat it down next to the vial of my Mother's.

I flipped my knife around, exposing and hiding the blade. I spun around and sunk the blade up to the hilt in the target. It's not like I was hiding from everyone, I just needed to be along. I took out my Bo Staff and swung it around and knocked each of the dummies in the head hard enough for them to pass out if they were human. I used it as a long jump pole and vaulted over the last and hit him from behind.

I had become really bad ass since I had started working with everyone. I could take down The Black Widow and Mockingbird when I was at m become really bad ass since I had started working with everyone. I could take down The Black Widow and Mockingbird when I was at my peak, that sounds a little conceited, but it's true. They didn't take it personally though, which was awesome. I pulled out another dagger and stabbed the last dummy in the back. I turned and pulled out my gun, well, it's borrowed, but it is mine to use. I aimed at the targets and shot them all cleanly in the heart. I felt a little savage doing that, but it really made me feel better. Is that bad?

"You know, it's not fair, killing dummies." Francis said, leaning on his bow, watching me. I put my gun back in its holster.

"Don't you need to be finding a date or something for Torunn's party tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day?" I'd helped her plan her three day feast, it was going to make the Royal Wedding look like a mere child's party.

"Eh, I really just want to ask this one girl, but if pretty afraid of what she'll do to me… I mean, she throw grown men across rooms with her brain." He nodded.

"God, seriously? It was an accident, a cosmic phenomenon an once-in-a-lifetime thing, nothing else, I'm just a normal human." He pushed me against the dummy.

"Oh really? Then how do you explain this?" He kissed me, deeply, I pulled him closer to me, I wanted him. He pulled away and handed me his bow and an arrow, I hadn't worked on this yet.

"What do you want me to do?" I strung the arrow out of habit.

"Aim for that one brown leaf on that far tree." He pointed, my eyes found it." I rolled my eyes; this was such an easy shot. I aimed and fired. I hit the leaf and the arrow sunk into the tree trunk with the leaf stuck on it.

"That was easy," I shrugged, reaching for another arrow. Wait, I don't know how to shoot a bow, let alone that far away. I met Hawkeye's eyes, on no.

"No! Of all the powers, not that one." I threw him his bow and grabbed my Bo staff. I ran down the stairs and the first person I saw was Pym.

"Pym!" I ran up to him and grabbed his hand tightly. I counted to three. _I tried to feel tiny, little, that's what I needed to be, little, so I could watch Mattie in the shower. I flew around the room._

"Dammit!" I yelled, I grew back to my normal size. "This can't be true." I ran to Torunn and touched her arm.

_I needed to find some Asgardian mead for my party, and the perfect dress, I'll ask Mattie to go with me today. Now where is my…_

"Mattie?" Pym and Torunn asked in unison.

"No." I stumbled up the stairs to my room. I fell through the door and stumbled to the pile of papers about my mom, I scanned the summary of her powers.

"…Absorbtion of memories, powers and abilities… through skin contact…. Too many minds… into coma… messiah complex… no control… Miss Marvel." The edges of my vision were getting darker, I couldn't possibly be different. No. no.

No.

...

'Nother bomb dropped. Hopefully you weren't suprised, I'm not that sly on the draw. Reveiw this story please. A simple LOL or NOOOOO or "Dis crap sux :P" anything. I am a starving artist. well my art is starving... Thanks for your time!


	6. Chapter 6: In Which Blood is Spilt

This is how it works... You read and reveiw this sotry and I will actually reread it and fix it Because if not, I will just keep posting chapter after chapter with mistakes for the red-pen police to crusade apon. Am I being clear?

...

"Will she be okay?" Someone pushed the hair away from my forehead, I pushed their hand away, they can't touch me.

"Mattie?" I opened my eyes. Francis's forehead was furrowed. Benji patted my leg.

"How do you feel?" He asked. I shrugged.

"M, please, just tell us." Hawkeye looked almost angry at me.

"I just… don't know. How can I possibly do that?" My sedative mask garbled the words.

"You're mother's power was very unique and she had a lot of trouble with it before Professor X helped her control it finally."

"So she is my mother?" I asked. I was twisting my blanket. My voice sounded horrible.

"Yes, the samples say so." He bit his lip a little bit. "And… you have a mutated gene, well several mutated genes."

"What does that mean?" I sat up in bed.

"You're a mutant, like Ororo."

"That can't be possible."

"Well, it is…" I stood up. I grabbed my jacket and ran downstairs.

"Best-friend Mattie!" Torunn yelled, but I wasn't stopping. I jumped on the first bike I saw and revved the engine. I sped down the driveway and onto the road.

If I had mutant powers, why didn't my parents take me? They must have taken my brother. Why not me? I grew up on the streets, thinking they were dead and gone.

I pulled up onto a cliff that hung out over the lake. It was really beautiful here. I stood on the very edge of the cliff. One strong breeze and I would fall to my death. But if I had the powers Benji said I did, then I wouldn't die. I took off my coat and I started dropping my knives and my gun. I made myself fall of the cliff.

I swooped up and I felt Cannonball's powers kick in. I sped through the air and then I switched between powers. I didn't know which one would come up, or even if I would find a power. I flew up into the sky and dropped back down. The feeling of antigravity cleared my head. It was such a rush. When I dropped back down to earth, Francis was glaring at me.

"Are you fucking crazy?" He yelled at me. I closed my eyes. I just needed a sec to sort stuff out or compartmentalize the info for later.

"One second, please." He glared at me. I took a deep breath and stood up. "Okay, what do you mean?" I flipped out my Bo.

"You're certifiable," he shook his head.

"Whatever." I got back on my bike.

"Stop." He held onto my handlebars. I revved my engine.

"I have a party I need to go to." I pulled away and sped back to the house. Torunn ran up to me.

"Are thee fine?" I nodded.

"Give me ten minutes and I'll help you set up." I smiled, she was really excited.

"Where do you want the throwing knives?"

"Uh, on the tables." Torunn was running around. She was wearing her ceremonial clothing for her father. I was kind of scared, all the asgardianns were coming to feast and sing of the victories of Torunn. She was nervous that she would do something wrong.

"You're doing great, Torunn, everyone is going to have a great time."

The party was outside because… well because of the whole asgardian stuff. There was going to be lots of mead and food. I pulled the sleeves of my jacket down more. I was wearing gloves and long pants, it was so hot; I thought I would die.

"I'm going to go check on the food." She ran inside. I sat in a chair. I took a deep breath. I tried to concentrate of Pym.

_I'm flying around, trying to find Torunn's present. Where did I put it? Aze was jumping from room to room, looking for me._

"Mattie?" James asked. I opened my eyes. He reached for my cheek, I stood up.

_"Don't touch me." _I walked away from him; I didn't want his mind in my head. I heard a crack of Thunder, Thor was here. I concentrated on Francis.

_I was shooting at a target 150 yards. My dad was watching me with my mom, they were acting so… parental. My dad patted my shoulder._

_"It's not your fault, it's in her genes," I rolled my eyes, "You should tell her how you feel." I stood up and looked over the roof towards the party. I was looking for Mattie. _

I shook my head. This is bad. I pulled at my gloves. They were just cheap leather I found in the attic. I clicked my knife back and forth. I think I just can't sit still anymore now that I've started training. I took my Bo staff out and started practicing with it. I needed to get better than my father, so I would work with it anytime I could. I stopped and heard a familiar sound; I flipped around and knocked the arrow out of the air. I laughed and picked it up.

"I get this one." I waved towards the roof.

"Aye, and then she smited the aliens back to their planet, it was a glorious day!" Thor boomed, he slammed his tankard down on the table. I sat in the back row on benches and laughed. This was amazing, everyone was so… drunk. James was dancing with a group of very scantily clad women. I drowned my glass and went out to dance. I pulled Pym up and he and I grinded and I turned around and laughed.

"This is amazing." I held his face with my gloved hands. He leaned in to kiss me, I backed away.

"C'mon. You kissed Hawkeye!" He said, hurt. I came back to him and whispered in his ear,

"I don't want to hurt you." He grabbed me and kissed me, I felt his elation. He held me against him. I cried out and ran away. His memories flooded my brain. I felt myself shrinking and growing and shooting little shock of power out of my fingertips. I stumbled to the lake. I thrashed aorund in the water, I was so hot.

"Idiot." He carried me to the bank. I thrashed around, he pinned my arms and legs down.

"No," I moaned quietly. He wrapped me in something warm.

"Mattie, don't do this to me, anymore." I drifted off.

...

I personally like this story, I did write it. But ya know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder... Reveiw tell my how you feel. start a completely random conversation, I do not care. Just post a reveiw... It would make my year. Happy Veterans day. God Bless!


	7. Chapter 7: In Which Gifts Are Given

Don't you forget about me! Chapter 7!

...

I rolled out of bed and slammed onto the floor. I jumped up, surprised. Hawkeye's black and white jacket fell off my shoulders.

Running outside, I slammed into Aze, he backed away from me. I kept running down the hallway to Francis's room.

"Francis! Francis?" His room was empty. I grabbed the piece of paper on the bed.

_ I need some time alone, don't look for me, you won't find me. _

"Shit." I looked around his room. There were two boxes on the dresser. I picked them up, one was for Torunn and the other was for me.

"Torunn?" I called. I went to search for her.

She was asleep in the yard. I woke her up.

"Hey, do you know where Francis is?" I sat down next to her. She rubbed her eyes.

"Francis…" She leaned up. "No." She flipped open the box and pulled out a long piece of blood red cloth. She smiled.

"A cuff befitting a king." She leaned on her arm. I opened my box.

I turned around and went inside. I loaded my pockets with knives and mags for the gun. I made sure I had enough to last for a while. I straddled the motorcycle and drove away.

_Torunn opened the box, inside, on a piece of velvet was a piece of Rouge's uniform and a scrap from Remy LeBeau's jacket._

I rode away, trying to think of where he had gone. I heard my name being called, but not to me, like a thought or a silent plea. I followed the sound to an alley between a bar and a whorehouse. Between garbage and rats and filth, there was a person, I ran to him.

Francis was bleeding. He had a big shard of glass in his side.

"Idiot." I helped him up. His head lolled to the side. I walked him into the bar.

"Can I use your phone?" I yelled. The guy nodded and pointed to the back room. It didn't seem to surprise him that a bleeding teenage guy was being carried into the back room by a teenage girl.

I called him.

"Benji? I'm in town, I need you to come help me, bring your stuff." I hung up. I laid Hawkeye down on a couch. I ripped open his shirt from around the glass.

"If you wanted to see my body, I would show it to you." He laughed softly.

"Don't get big head, idiot." I took my shirt off and dropped it on his stomach, he tried to whistle. I pulled my jacket back on. There was a lot of blood. I pressed my shirt around the glass. He winched.

"A tender touch is all I'm asking from my women."

"Don't jump through windows and we wouldn't be hanging out in the back of a bar." I heard the door slam. Benji ran in and did a double take. He opened his back pack and pulled out all the stuff he needed. He told me to keep pressure on the wound while he pulled out the glass. He dropped it on the floor and pushed down on top of my hands.

"He's lost a lot of blood." He pulled out some string and a needle. "Hawk, I need you to stay with us, keep talking. He pushed me up towards Francis's head. I put my hands on either side of his head. He reached up and grabbed them. He pulled off my glove and took my hand. His memories shot through my brain in vivid recollection. This time I was watching his memories, not part of them.

_Francis was standing in the "Hawknest" his dad had found in the training room when he started with S.H.E.I.L.D. He was watching Mattie and James fight each other, she wasn't bad… just not good. Then he was on top of her, they were kissing. Francis shot an arrow for the target right behind them. He was angry, and hurt, and acting stupid. He kissed her because he wanted to hurt him. Earlier that week, he had even let it slip he liked someone on the team, but everyone just thought he was bluffing to throw them off their game. _

_Then he broke up with her. Francis was so angry at James for that. He was jealous of him, incredibly jealous. _

His hands fell from my face. I grabbed him with my gloved hand.

"Francis," I murmured. Benji ripped the tape off the roll and taped the gauze on the stiches.

"We need to get him back to the house." He picked him up. I grabbed Hawkeye's bow, and followed Ben out. He slid Francis in the backseat of his car. I followed on my bike.

Benji rushed him down to his lab.

"He might have internal bleeding," he muttered. He pulled out a device that looked like a piece of glass. He moved it over Francis's stiches. I looked on the screen, it was a portable x-ray.

"Does he?" Benji shook his head.

"No, but he won't be moving around soon." He riffled through a box of medical supplies. He hooked up and antibiotic drip. "Hold this up, please." I held the bag up while Benji searched for a stand. He hooked it up at patted my shoulder. His finger gazed my neck.

_Danger, danger, heart rate is too high. She's a threat. She's dangerous. Power is too strong for her. _

He pulled away. I looked in his eyes; he was in fear of me. I backed away.

"What?" Hawkeye grabbed my hand. "You think that I'm a danger?"

He walked out of the room. I held Francis's hand.

I must've fallen asleep, because he was shaking my arm.

"Mattie," he was leaning up, I shoved him back down on the table.

"You can't get up yet!" He winched.

"I'm good, I can get up." He patted my shoulder and jumped off the table. He smiled. I reached for him, he stepped away.

"I like my stiches to stay in place, so I'll just go chill somewhere." He grabbed his bow.

"No shooting till you're healed." I took it from him. He shrugged.

"I don't care as long as you'll be my slave till I'm healed." He tried to lean nonchalantly in the doorway but cringed.

I riffled through the box of pill bottles Ben had found; aspirin. I handed him two of the tablets. He shook his head.

"I'll grin and bear it."

"Sure you will, Ace, sure you will."

...

Please this is Chapter 7. 0 reveiws and nothing but saddness.


	8. Chapter 8: In Which Powers Go Haywire

What you doing? You are reading Chapter 9!

Thank you for the time!

...

"Torunn!" I held up my present for her. She leaped over.

"What hath thou given to me?" She took it from me with a smile. Her dress today was a very pretty red, it made her look like a goddess, which she was.

"Open it!" She ripped open the paper and laughed.

"Thank you," She reached to hug me, but then she stopped. She patted my shoulder. He pulled out the necklace and clasped it around her neck. It was her sword; I had made an exact copy of it. She was pulled back out on the dance floor by a prospective husband. They grow up so fast.

"Hey, about the other night, in the bar…" Francis trailed off.

"What about it?" I put my hand on his leg. I was wearing a pair of silk gloves that went up to my shoulders. I would never let it show how much it hurt my best friend wouldn't hug me. I picked at my food.

"I… I wanted you to see something else, but that came out." He shrugged and stood up, he held his stomach. I reached to help him, he pushed my hand away. "I can do it." I reached out to him with my mind.

_Francis? Can you hear me? _

He turned and stared at me, mouth agape.

_So that's a yes. _

"Stop that! It feels weird." Something happened then, I felt like I had just got hit in the head, hard. I turned around confront the person when I realized I was floating above the party. Then my eyes started to burn, all I could see was red, everywhere I looked, red.

"Mattie!" I heard someone yell. But all I could hear were voices, too many voices, my mind hurt, there were too many people all yelling, they were blaming me, yelling at me, talking to me sweetly. I screamed; I couldn't take it, it hurt, I felt myself growing and shrinking and pulling apart at the seams. I hit the ground and the world went black.

"-seems her mother's powers and memories from before the mutant Messiah were transferred to her during the pregnancy." Ben said. I was restrained in the bed. My mouth was dry, I couldn't swallow.

"How is that possible?" Someone took my hand.

"We need to help her control it, or cure it." I felt a pulsing behind my eyes. I squeezed them shut. Something was swelling up in my chest. I felt my breathing become erratic. My heart was racing. I felt hot, like I was one fire, I screamed and thrashed against my bonds.

"Get out! Get out, it's the Phoenix!" I collapsed again.

"-Keep her sedated, the Phoenix is not something that can be tamed." Ororo said softly.

"Yes, but can we help her?" Francis asked just as quietly.

"I don't know; she'll tear herself apart if we don't find help soon, the Phoenix is power incarnate and no one has ever been able to control it. Mattie has the memories and powers of everyone, including the Hecacomb, Rogue herself couldn't control that. She's a strong girl, but I don't know anyone that can go through that and live." I let out a jagged sob. I felt a needle pierce my arm and I fell back into unconsciousness.

"Are you sure this'll work?" I felt something slide over my mouth, "Mattie?" I shook my head, I'd lose control. "It's okay, baby, open your eyes, we're all waiting for you." The first thing I saw was Francis. He hugged me tighter than anyone ever had. Torunn pushed her way to me and squeezed me half to death.

"Best-friend Mattie, you will be fine, I shall smite anyone who says otherwise." Pym and Azari both hugged me. I felt Pym's fear and looked away. My powers weren't gone. James walked up to me, I didn't want him in my head, I wanted him to tell me what he was thinking rather than have me in his head all the time and vice virsa.

"You will be back to normal in no time," He grabbed my gloved hands and kissed them.

I tried to say thank you, but it sounded wrong.

"I've had to make this oral distributor of sedative for you; if you lose control it'll give you the strongest sedative that is safe." Benji said, checking something on a screen.

I nodded. Francis called out to me.

_Mattie?_

_Ya? _He sat with me on the bed. Everyone looked uncomfortable.

"She can kind of talk to you," the others looked scared but excited.

_Torunn?_

"What the hell?" She yelled.

_Pym, Aze?_

They just stared at me like they had seen a ghost.

"What's going on?" James asked. He reached for me. I backed away.

_I can't have him in my head; I don't want him in my head_. I started to shake, I felt something evil rise up inside of me,I growled low and guttural. I felt something rush against my lips and I felt dizzy.

"Well it works." I was back to being restrained.

_Benji? _

"Yes, Mattie?"He unlatched me.

_What's wrong with me?_

"You are just… glitching."

_Why, it's just not like a computer, it's my brain?_

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. Your mom could absorb memories, personalities, talents, and powers, but after the mutant Messiah, she wouldn't absorb anymore memories or persona's."

_If she was cured, why do I have them?_

"Well, I think it is because your mom's brain still held the memories and people and powers, she just wasn't conscious of them." I pulled out my knife and flipped it back and forth. I heard a fly buzzing around in the corner I spun and threw my knife. It wedged itself in the wall; the fly cut in half.

"If you keep doing that, I'm never going get to teach you anything." Ororo laughed at me.

I heard a memory from my mother surface within my reach, she had taken just a little of Storm's power to water the grounds of the institute.

_Can you hear me? _

She nodded. "That's amazing."

_If you say so._

"I'm here to tell you about your parents." She sat down in a chair by my bed.

_What about them?_

"There's something you need to know." She looked really serious. "Your parents, Rogue and Gambit, loved you and your brother very much, even though they never wanted to have you. Rogue was always scared something like this would happen to you two, and it did, well only to you."

_What about my… brother?_

"He is like his father, in my ways than one. He can charge inanimate objects with kinetic power." She brushed her pants off as she stood up.

_Is?_

"Yes, but that will have to wait for another time. Sleep well, Mattie." I felt a pain in my head, it was searing, flames were shooting out of my fingers, I was lifting off the bed.

I screamed, it only came out as a muffled growl. I felt the sedative be released.

...

Please read and Reveiw. I promise you will not be dissapointed!


	9. Chapter 9: In Which a Search is Started

You've read this far, c'mom dudes and dudettes.

Stay with me!

...

"-can't go on like this, I can't take it any longer, we have to find them, all of them." Someone came over and pulled me onto his lap, I curled up against his chest. I felt so weak, so torn apart.

"Where would we start? Are they even still alive?"

"Logan has to be, and there have to be others." The person rocked me back and forth.

"Are you sure you want to leave her for that long?" The other one came over and smoothed my hair down.

"Benji can take care of her, I trust him, he's working day and night to find something better for her."

"Her attacks are becoming more focused on a certain persona from the past each time." I nuzzled my face farther into the crook of the person's neck. He held me closer.

"I heard that she fazed through the bed, Benji had to inject her with sedative to keep her from going through the floor."

"Do you think that she's getting a white streak in her hair?" He pulled a lock of hair away from my head.

"She's turning into her mom," I was laid down on the bed and my forehead was kissed, the first time I saw arrows and bows and Hawkeye, the next was a flood of memories of me and James. My head started to throb. My heart started racing. I took deep breaths, I was watching a memory.

_I was back on the hellicarrier, watching James and Francis train, they were boxing in silence when Francis stopped and asked._

_"Did you do because of me?" He took a drink._

_"No," James wiped the sweat off his forehead. _

_"You still suck at lying." Hawkeye snapped. "You really hurt her."_

_"I know," he turned to hit the punching bag, it burst open._

"They left this morning." T'Challa said. Ororo was holding my hand. "They went looking for the others." She nodded. They were down in my room eating lunch with me.

"How are you feeling, Mattie?" I nodded. She held a glass of water up, I nodded. She took off the face guard. I gulped down the water and laughed.

"May I have some more?" She conjured a small thunder cloud and filled up the glass. I drank that one down too. Benji put his sandwich down on his plate and handed it to me.

"Oh, I couldn't," my stomach growled.

"It's okay."

"Thank you," I devoured it.

"This is really good, Mattie, really good." Benji smiled at me.

My heart started racing, I took deep breaths, and I slowed it down.

"You okay?" Ben asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," I opened my eyes; I didn't know they had been closed.

"Oh my lord." I turned to look at the others.

"What is it?"

"Your eyes…" Benji handed me a mirror, amid my tangled hair, my usually brown eyes had turned black with red irises. I blinked, they turned back to normal.

"There, everything's good." I tried to brush my hair back when I noticed something strange, "Is that a white streak?" I pawed to the roots, it was completely white.

"Just like your mother."

I was outside for the first time in a long time. The birds were whistling, it was fall, it'd be thanksgiving soon. I hadn't seen my friends in months, oh sure, Benji was fun, and he was showing me all sorts of stuff, but I couldn't go into town to help him get groceries and stuff. My episodes were getting less severe, I couldn't pick which ones came up but I could hold them in, or make them go away.

"M?" I turned around to see Francis, he was taller and more toned, his bow was the same, and it was strung behind his back. I ran to him, he held me so tightly, I lifted us off the ground.

"Francis," I murmured, Benji had made my mask smaller, it was on my wrist, and it injected me right away if my power reached a certain level. We had been working on going up in smaller increments. He crushed his lips against mine; the rush of new memories didn't debilitate me. I'd sort through them later.

"There are some people here to see you." I dropped down. Francis lead me into the house, he covered my eyes.

"Who?" He pushed me into the main room. I laughed, thinking it would be the others, but when I opened my eyes, there they were, all of them. The memories flooded my brain, moments of fun, sadness, romance. The X-men. I started to twitch, they stopped laughing and reached out to me, I pushed their hands away, my breath caught in my throat. I pressed the button on my sedative, nothing happened, the memories the voices, the powers, the talents. Benji ran in and took me away. He shot me full of sedative.

...

Everything means something. Silence is agreement, and rejection. Tell me what you want. I shall do it. If you continue reading, it will be for your better. This is a great story.

It's a Great Day To Be Alive!


	10. Chapter 10: In Which a Family is Found

A continued lack of reveiws means I'm not trying too hard for your votes.

...

"The Phoenix? Nova? Ms. Marvel? All of them?"

"Sweet baby's eyes turned red?" People took my hands, my gloves felt confining.

"How can that be?"

"Gene? Are you reading anything in her?"

"My optic blasts?"

"Too… many… voices." I gasped. Then there was silence. I opened my eyes. I met a pair of glass green eyes and a pair of black and red eyes.

"I'm sorry, babycakes." The woman with long brown hair with a white streak like mine brushed my hair out of my face.

"Mom?" She was wearing a pair of silk gloves.

"Remy, say som'ting." The man leaned over me, it looked like her was about to cry.

"Sweet child?" He smiled.

"Dad?" He nodded. I felt myself cry.

"Yes," I hugged them both. I saw that the entire room was packed with people _I _had never met.

My parents backed away and let the others introduced themselves.

"Hello, this is Scott, and I'm Gene Summers." The red head and the sunglasses guy from the picture said.

"I'm Jubilee, and this is Wolverine." The vampire girl and a rough looking guy nodded at me.

"I'll just introduce the rest," my mom said. She pointed to each of them in turn, "Piotr, Kitty, Bobby, Hank, Warren, Sam and his sister, Paige, also we have Betsy, and Broo." She smiled at me. There were so many memories of these people, even though I had never met them before.

"Wow," I smiled.

"I think we need to give her a little time to analyze all this." They patted my hand and left. Benji sat with me for a while,

"Are they imposters? Skrull? Holograms?" I asked.

"Not as far as I can tell." He looked tired, really tired.

"You need to go to sleep, dude." I smiled at him, he nodded and yawned.

"I know, but-"

"Go see Torunn, you big lug." I clapped him on the shoulder. I watched him out the door.

"Okay, Mattie, don't lose it now. You can do this," I jumped out of bed. I reached out for the doorknob but the door flew wide open and James was standing there, he was… big, like his dad, he was in charge and knew it. He pulled off him shield projector and kissed me, he held me up and kissed me, I shoved the memories away and the feeling of the power he had now. I pulled away, he put me down.

"You've grown…" He went from teenage boy, to a man, and he was only 17 still.

"I know; it's the steroids I take." He smiled.

"Thought so." He hugged me again.

...

Pretty short right? Reveiws will make it better and bigger.


	11. Chapter 11: In Which Death Shows Up

"Stop it. Both of you!" I yelled at James and Francis. They were fighting at the dinner table. I held them up with my telekinesis and made a shield over all the Thanksgiving day food.

Oh, you thought I skipped some? I did.

_Three weeks ago,_

"I want to make a southern thanksgiving dinner for everyone." I told my mom as she braided my hair one night.

"Sounds like a great idea, Suga."

_ Two weeks ago,_

"Mattie, are you sure you want to do this?" Jubilee asked me, she was cutting up fruit for the jam.

"Do I need to go down to the blood bank for you?" She smiled sarcastically.

"Haven't heard that one before."

"Seriously, how will you eat?" She shrugged.

"I don't have to eat, I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

_One week ago,_

"Torunn, don't try to cut the bread for the stuffing with your sword." I handed her a kitchen knife. My mom came in and handed me the bag of groceries.

"Hey, how's it going hun?" My mom patted my shoulder. No one really touched me anymore, even though I could read their minds.

"Fine, everything's going fine." I heard a crash. "Just pick it up and throw it away Torunn."

"My sincerest apologies." She had crushed the cutting board.

"It's fine."

_ About 30 seconds ago,_

"God Damnit, Patriot! I said stop!" Francis shoved him up against the wall and then threw him across the room. James got up and wiped the blood off of his lip.

"I can do whatever the hell I want to, Hawk." He slammed his shoulder into Francis's stomach, he crashed into the side-board. That's when I rushed in.

"What the hell is going on here?" I had just went back to the kitchen to get the turkey.

"He had is hands all over you," Francis spat.

"What?" I'm not going to pretend not to know that both of those guys like me, I just couldn't get them involved with me until I get my powers under control.

"She wasn't complaining about it." James smirked.

"Oh, you mean just then? He was helping me with my dress." I put Francis down and let James on the other side of the table.

"This is a stupid idea," Francis stormed out.

"I'm sorry, Mattie." James left too.

"Great." I put the Turkey down on the table with all the other food we had made. My dad walked in.

"What was all that fuss 'bout?" he reached for a roll, I snapped the a towel at his hand.

"You'll have to wait."

"So what did jus' go down in here?"

"Jealous boys." I straightened a fork.

"Don't be mad at them, honey, they just don't know what to do, no one does." He helped me bring out the glasses.

"I'd like to thank you guys, I know I've been… a real problem, lately, but I wanted to tell you guys thank you, I've never really had a family, until you guys, and now I have two." Everyone raised their glasses. I sat back down.

_Mattie? _Two voices reached out to me; Francis and James.

_What? Are you telling me my cooking is bad too?_

_ No._

_ Then what?_

_ I don't want to say it, but you need to choose one of us._

"You can't tell me that! I can't just choose one or the other!" I slammed my hand on the table and glared down James and Francis. I walked out of the room. I needed to calm down. I stepped outside to the pool. I stepped onto the lip of the pool. I felt the Phoenix inside of me, like a bird soaring around until it could be freed.

"Mattie?" Pym grabbed my hand.

"Hey Pym," He had grown too, I felt like I was the only person here who seemed to have the least amount of control.

"I met a girl, when we were looking for your parents." This was the first time we had a real conversation since he had gotten back.

"Really? What's she like?" I shrunk down and sat on his shoulder.

"Dangerous, she blows stuff up and has claws."

"X23?"

"No, but your close. It's her daughter."

"Where is she?"

"She didn't want to come."

"Sorry," He shrugged, almost throwing me off.

"It's okay."

"Let's just go back in, I'm starving." I flipped off of his shoulder and went back to my original size.

"So are ya just going ta ignore them both?" My mom said as she brushed my hair the night after thanksgiving.

"I don't know, what should I do momma?"

"Well, sweet pea, I don't know what to say, they both would take a bullet for you, I know you should follow your heart." I fiddled with my sedative bracelet.

"Where's my brother?"

"Oh, honey," she smoothed my hair down. "He left when your friends came we didn't know he had left until it was too late." I nodded.

"Okay, I was just curious." She sighed.

I snuck into the kitchen, I couldn't sleep and had a craving for a turkey sandwich, I dug around in the refrigerator. I looked around the kitchen to see if anyone was there, I reached down inside me and channeled Pycslocke's power and made a small energy knife and cut off a slice of turkey, I smashed it in a piece of bread with some cold mashed potatoes. I took a big bite out of it and went to grab a drink.

"That looks really gross." Francis said, drinking a beer.

"Says the one who is drinking." He shrugged.

"I only drink when I screw up big." He put it down and pulled me close. He bit my sandwich, I pulled away from him, he wasn't drunk, just had a nip of liquid courage.

"That's good." I threw the rest of my sandwich away. He sat on the countertop, I left.

_I'm sorry._

I flipped over the barricade and shot the targets, I threw the bow aside and pulled out my Bo, I swung it around and then threw my knife. Something hit my back I pulled my gun a snapped around. It was just James. He shrugged like he wanted train with me. I shook my head and pulled my knife out of the dummy as I left.

"This can't keep going on, Mattie." Torunn chided me. I was flying; Ms. Marvel's powers were the best!

"Boys are idiots."

"Or their crazy in love with you." She was getting mad at me. I stopped flying.

"I don't want them to get hurt, either of them; I still have powers I can't control." Electricity pulsed through the air; she jumped at me from the roof and slammed me down to the ground.

"You are really pissing me off." She yelled, I felt a fire start inside my heart; the Phoenix.

"What?"

"My brothers are fighting over you? Don't you see that? James can't sleep; Francis won't do anything but shoot all day. So just do something with them!" I flew back into the air.

"Okay," my heart was racing hard. I felt the memories and voices rush back to me. I hit the manual button on my bracelet, it wasn't injecting me. I felt myself drop into the water.

I jumped out of my bed and ran to find the guy; I felt a needle fly out of my arm.

"Mattie!" Benji yelled. I waved him away.

"Francis? James?" I yelled and everyone watched me run down the hallway. I saw the two of them step into the hallway. I hugged them both. Francis wrapped his jacket around me.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." I cried.

"It's okay, Mattie." I wouldn't let go of either of them, ever again.

I heated up the Jiffy Pop corn containers in my hands and passed them down the line of people, we were going to watch "A Christmas Carol," it was Christmas Eve and I was trying to be fun.

"Mattie, pass the butter," I moved the butter bottle to Logan while I was finishing up two more Jiffy Pops.

"You're doing great, Mattie," my dad patted my shoulder.

"I know."

"Shush! The movie's starting." Torunn yelled. She pushed her way between Benji and Jubilee. He held her hand. I looked down at my palms and pulled my gloves back on. I sat between Francis's legs and wrapped his arms around me.

I snuck downstairs with all the presents I had bought for my family. They trailed behind me in the air. I placed them all around the base of the Christmas trees with the other presents. It would be so happy a day. Francis snuck in behind me and grabbed my wrists. I slammed my head against his chest, he let go.

"God girl!" He rubbed his chest.

"Reflex?" I shrugged.

"Here, take you present before to stab me." He threw me a box.

"Thanks," He left. I ripped off the paper; it was a cylinder only about two inches long. I picked it up and looked it over. I pointed it toward the wall and pressed a little button on the side. The ends shot out and it turned into a Bo staff. It hit me in the stomach and knocked the air out of me. "It works." I hit the button again and it snapped back into the little piece.

I was shaken awake by Pym jumping violently on my bed.

"WAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEE EEEE UPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!" He yelled. I sent out a mental pulse the made him fly off the bed.

"GET OUT!" I yelled. He ran back out of the door in his boxers and socks. I slammed my door shut just as I saw James walking down the hall, he was just wearing his boxers and socks too, _do these boys not have any pants?_

I pulled on the first clothes I saw and grabbed my belt. I sensed everyone was in the living room. I pulled Shadow Cat's powers to my mind and phased through the floor to the living room. Pym, being the youngest, was assigned to pass out all the presents before anyone could open even one. I leaned against the door frame. Poor Henry Jr. was buzzing from place to place and working as fast as he could.

"There," he gasped and fell onto the floor. He ripped open his first present; a bag of underwear. Everyone else laughed while he frowned.

Torunn waved over to me and handed me a box. I picked mine out of her pile; we opened them at the same time.

"Oh thank you!" She hugged me and clasped the thick bangle on her wrist, I pressed the two sides and the shield clicked into to place. I pulled out the beautiful dress she had made me.

"Thanks Torunn, this means a lot."

"Matttttie!" Pym zapped me in the back of the head.

"Have you forgotten I can to that too?" I tossed a little ball of energy straight at him, he dodged and threw me a box.

"For me?" I pulled out a very… unique something… "A neck… warmer?" I wrapped the big chunk of fabric around my neck. He pulled it away,

"No, it's a sweater," he pulled it over my head, it was warm, and big, but nice.

"Did you knit it?" He shook his head,

"My robot did!" He smiled.

"Good job."

"My turn!" Aze jumped to me, he handed me a long, slender box.

"This is from my parents and me." I opened the box.

"This is beautiful!" I opened the silk hand fan. Storm took it from me and flipped it out, it shot little needles into the wall, she flipped it over and it had a blade along the outside. She closed the fan and handed it back to me. "Thank you!" Aze and Pym ripped open their presents from me.

"How'd you find this?" Pym held up stack of vintage comic books I had found at an antique store.

"My superpowers."

"Thanks!"

"Where'd you get this?" Aze held up the chunk of Vibranium.

"Here and there," he held it like it was delicate. He had always wanted to be King of Wakanda, but it was not standing anymore, he would have to be the great king to rebuild it.

"Thank you, very much." My friends all hugged me, Francis was asleep in the chair and James was handing his parents their presents. I tossed Francis his present; he jolted up and grabbed it.

"Open it!" I sat on the arm of his chair. He opened the lid of the box and smiled. He hugged me and kissed my shoulder.

"What is it?" Everyone asked. He pulled the bow out of the box and flipped it out into the full size; it was really lightweight and powerful.

"James, this is yours," I handed him his box. He opened it and grinned, I hugged him tightly. He pulled out the jacket and pulled it on, it was the same style as his uniform, but now he wouldn't have to wear those tight pants all the time.

"Thank you," He smiled. My parents handed me my gift. I tore the paper off and pulled out a long slinky piece of spandex.

"What is this?" I pulled it and it snapped.

"You're uniform; you're officially part of the X-men." I hugged them.

"And the Next Avengers, if you want to be." James patted my shoulder.

"Really?" I laughed. "This is amazing!"

"Is really how this goes?" I felt naked in this tight suit.

"Yup, but here, mon chere, wear this over it." My dad tossed me an overcoat. It felt much better.

"Thanks," I pulled out my new Bo and snapped it open.

"Go out there and kick somebody's butt." I ran out to the yard, there was going to be a winter training session.

"I'll try." I ran out into the snow. I sense someone flying at me and I dodged, sending out a psychic pulse and made them fall to the ground. I helped Pym up. We were playing the way that if I could bring down the person, they became part of my team.

"Hurry up, we need to win." He did a flip and grew into the Giant. I vaulted over a boulder on my Bo. Aze came out from behind a tree and shocked me. I used grew to the same size as Pym and caught Aze.

"Got you," He nodded and jumped out of my hands. I had the really hard ones now; I shrunk down as small as I possibly could and stopped. I reached out with my mind to sense the others. I saw Francis in the tree, Torunn hovering behind the pine tree, and James was…

"Gotcha!" I twisted around and kissed him on the lips, pulling his power for a second so I could get away. He took a deep breath and faltered.

"Damn," he said quietly, I reached to touch his shoulder and he pinned me to the ground, the snow burnt my face with its cold. "That felt weird, Mattie." He whispered in my ear. I shivered and it had nothing to do with the snow. Francis shot an arrow at the ground between our legs. I stood up and jumped into the tree to Francis.

"Jealousy, dear, is unbecoming." I let him get close to my neck and then pulled him out of the tree.

"Get. A. Room." Pym snipped.

"Who's up for round two?" I shadow boxed a little. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy. "What…?" I turned around, thinking I would get to fight off a giant alien invasion with my new team and all I saw was snow and trees.

"It's just,"Aze said, James took over for him,

"Mattie, it's just we didn't think you'd be so…"

"Good?" No one said anything, but I could tell that's what they meant. "God, you guys are jealous of me? I never thought this day would come." I felt a fire in my stomach, something I had felt before, it was the Phoenix. I felt myself lift off the ground. I yelled down at the worthless sacks of flesh that are called heroes. I screamed that I was the Phoenix, I was life incarnate. I felt the fire burn through my body, I screamed. I realized what was happening; I couldn't unleash the Phoenix, I made Francis come into the flames around my body, his shirt was stating to burn.

"Francis," I cried. "You have to kill me," He shook his head, "You have to, to save the others." I pulled an arrow out of the quiver I had to aim it at my heart before I lost myself like Jean did. I was scared, but I was more scared for the others. I put Francis back on the ground; I wouldn't hurt him like that. I took a deep breath and let the arrow go…


	12. Chapter 12:In Which There is an Escape

Relax, just read it! You'll like, I promise.

...

I was naked, very naked, and freezing. I felt a person on either side of me. I felt like my skin was re-growing itself. I shifted and I felt my body protest.

"Mattie, don't move." Hawkeye held me in place.

"I'm not… dead?" my throat was on fire. He kissed my forehead I felt the fear he had felt when I was the Phoenix, and I saw what happened after I shot myself.

_She fell from the sky, the arrow in her chest. Francis ran to catch her, but he missed, she landed in the snow, her clothes burnt off of her. He wrapped his jacket around her and ran with her to the house. He was so scared, so scared about what would happen to her. Benji ran out and took her to the basement. Francis and James had stayed with her through the operation, and the transfusion of Logan's blood for the healing factor. Then they slept with her, they wouldn't leave her until they knew that she would wake up. Because she had to wake up. _

"No, you're not." He pulled his jacket around my shoulders again; he latched the jacket down my front, not the slightest bit afraid of my burnt skin. I took his hands and tried to reverse my powers. I reached for a memory that was happy and distracting.

_I was sitting in a tall tree, watching the others fight each other, Francis and James were up. They were so precise, and calculating, I admired that, and the fact that they didn't have shirts on… They were both very handsome and toned. I felt myself blush when they looked my way._

"Are you okay?" I asked him, lying back down on the bed; James wrapped his arm around me.

"Are you?" He brushed my hair away from my face and left. James held me against his chest. I didn't know when, but he woke up and carried me up the living room. Everyone was sitting in there, looking like someone had died.

"Hey, guys." I sat in the overstuffed chair.

"Mattie, everyone's been discussing it, and we think it's time we take you back with us."

"What? I can't leave my friends!" Everyone wouldn't meet my eyes, I tried to talk to them in their minds, but something was blocking me. I saw Jean holding her head. I let my telepathic probe down.

"It would be better if we could take you back to where we were, on Genosha." I stood up to protest but Francis ran in, threw me over his shoulder and ran me out to a car he had waiting.

"Get in!" He ran to the other side and revved the engine. I jumped into the seat and he sped away. I saw everyone running out of the house.

"Where the hell are we going?"

"Safety." He kissed my hand.

"What is this place?" I looked at the little beach bungalow. It was quaint. He pulled out some bags from the trunk and unlocked the front door.

"My parent's first house, kind of." He flipped the light on with his elbow. He dropped the bags on the floor of the living room and collapsed on the couch. He pulled me onto his lap.

"Why?" He rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"Because they can't take you away from me." He pointed to a backpack on the floor. "There are some real clothes." I picked it up and looked inside; he had raided my drawers and shoved everything inside. I went into the bathroom and changed into some real clothes finally.

"Here, I handed him his long jacket back, he looked naked without it on. He sat up in the couch.

"Thanks." He rummaged around on his end of the couch and brought up a blanket. He spread it on the ground, and moved down there. ""You can have the couch." I pulled my hoodie closer around me. He got back up and covered me with a blanket.

"Sleep well." I couldn't stop thinking about my family, my friends. I reached to twist my bracelet but it wasn't there. I took a deep breath, it's no big deal, and you'll be fine. I pulled the blanket closer to around me.

_One week later,_

"Hey, Hey, Hey!" Torunn yelled as she threw the door open. I jumped.

"What! What are you doing here?" She hugged me.

"I had to find you! The others are all over the place, Benji walked in after her. He shrugged.

"What are you two doing?" Hawkeye pulled me behind him.

"Chill out, Francis, we aren't going to tell anyone… except maybe Aze, Pym and James." Francis pulled me between them and out the door. He drug me to the beach.

"This feels weird." I told him. The team doesn't just split up.

"I know, it doesn't feel right." He pulled me back into the house, he told me to stall them for a little bit. I made small talk with Torunn and Benji till Francis smiled at them and pulled me away.

"If you'll excuse us," He pulled me out of the back door and into the car. We sped away again. I saw the fake Torunn and Benji ran outside a pulled out guns. Their images wavered and then they turned into two shield agents. They tried to take a shot at us, but I threw a force shield towards them and knocked them down.

"Faster." I said.

"I know."

He pulled into a gas station in the middle of the night I got out and stretched. He filled up the car and went inside for something. I pulled my hair up off my neck and put it in a ponytail.

I saw a bolt of lightning flash across the sky, then the bang of thunder. The lights above the pumps flickered. Francis ran out.

"C'mon, Babe." He drove back out onto the open road. We drove for a couple of hours, and then pulled onto a dirt road that went up a mountain. About halfway up, Francis pulled over and shut the car off.

"Why did we stop?" It was dark and desolate up here. He rubbed his eyes.

"I'm really tired, I need to sleep." He pushed his seat back and stretched.

"I could drive." He shook his head,

"You've been up just as long." He pulled a couple of blankets out of the back and tossed it to me. I leaned my seat back too. He flipped over and covered up. I put my back to him and turned on my phone. There was one message; it was from James.

**Are you okay? **

I shut my phone off again.

...

I work for tips, don't be shy words don't have no cost. But they pay be better than silver or gold bro!


	13. Chapter 13: In Which Just Read It

This Chapter: something you will want to read... Very... hmmm Read it and find out!

...

"Hey, babe, we're here." Francis shook my shoulder.

"Where?" I asked. I looked around and all I saw were trees.

"A safe place, just for a couple of days." He grabbed our bags and lead me to a big tent, like a small circus tent.

"Are we living in a fumigated house?" I stopped in front of the entry.

"You'll like it, and it's only for a couple of days." He went on inside. I cautiously followed. Inside was a dank circus. There were costumes and props, and old painted canvases with pictures of sideshows and main attractions. I saw one that looked like Francis; I walked over and put my hand on the canvas.

"That's my dad." Francis put the stuff down by a pallet in the center of the tent.

"That's really cool. How'd you find this place?" I turned around in the big top. Hawkeye winded up a record machine an old, slow song seeped out of the speaker. He took my hands and spun me around.

"My dad," he pulled me closer.

"Why Mr. Barton, I think you're trying to seduce me." He shrugged.

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." I laughed. He kissed my hands. I was wearing a pair of rough gloves.

I pulled away from him.

"Francis…" He pulled me to the pallet and lay down. I stretched out next to him; he put his hand on my hip.

"Yeah?" He pulled a blanket out of a bag and covered us up.

"I already told you, I won't do that to either of you." He sighed.

"I know." He pulled out his phone and tapped something out on the screen. He pulled me to him and held me with his chin resting on my head, "I just wish you would let me try."

I just held my face against his coat and breathed in his wild smell. I kicked off my boots and wedges my feet between his. I felt him wrap his arms around me. This was what I had always loved. The feeling of security I had never gotten before James found me.

It was raining; I felt the dampness in the air. Someone sloshed in and grunted. I felt a familiar presence.

"James?" I jumped up and hugged him. He felt the same.  
"Mattie," he crushed me against him.

"You need some sleep," his mind was really groggy.

"I'll be fine," he nodded against me.

"Sit down, you big lug." I pulled a chair over and he plopped down. He rubbed his eyes and was

asleep. I pulled off his shield projector and pulled a blanket around him. Francis picked up his bow and left. I rummaged through the bags to see if we had any food. I found a little picture. I flipped it over; it was of the Next Avengers from right after they defeated Ultron. James was pulling me into the picture. I saw Francis, he looked stuck up and arrogant. My friends looked so happy. I hadn't seen them smile like that since then. I mean they did smile, and laugh, but here they looked like they knew that they meant something to the world. They just didn't believe in themselves anymore. I put it back in the bag and found some canned food.

"You don't need that." Francis came back in with some fresh meat and greens.

"Oh, you went hunting in the rain?"

"I guess."

"Okay, here, I can cook it." I concentrated on the string of meat, and surrounded it with flames. It was the power of the Phoenix, but I wouldn't let it consume me, I had too much to care for in this life.

The food was charred.

"Sorry." He stabbed it with an arrow.

"Nice parlor trick." He pulled out his knife and sliced off the burnt part.

"I try," He put the food down on a piece of foil and cut up the greens.

"You told him where we were?" I stayed his hand. "Why?"

"Because, it's like… it's like a day, you need day and night together."

"Thank you." He wouldn't meet my eyes.

"I love you, Mattie, I love you so much, I wish you would let me show you." He reached his mind out to me, I put up a blockade.

"I can't choose one of you over the other," I sat down on the blankets.

"But you can't have us both." He pulled his quiver of arrows off of his back.

"I know."

"We need to move out, before I left, S.H.E.I.L.D. had already compromised the X-men, well, except for Logan and Jubilee." James picked at his food. His hair was mussed and his clothes were rumpled, he usually didn't look this way, I liked it.

"We will tonight." Francis said icily.

"Attitude isn't needed, Hawk." I looked at each of them and didn't speak. I should've said something; I just didn't know what to say.

"Then what is needed, Spangly?"

"Don't test me, Hawk, I'm in no mood to take it easy on you." I felt the space between them crackle.

"I'm not one to hold back either." Francis pushed up his sleeves. James pulled off his jacket.

"Boys…" I tried to pull them apart like I did at Thanksgiving; it wasn't working, they had built their own shields from my powers. Francis pulled me to him and kissed me. I felt anger and rage and hatred towards James and frustration towards myself. James pulled me from him and kissed me, he pushed me down onto the pallet of blankets and I felt the exact same emotions, and also an undertone of pure, true love. James was shoved off of me and the boys were fighting full force. I couldn't find the right power I wanted, I felt like I was being told to choose, I didn't want to. James hit Francis in the face hard. I cringed.

"Stop it. Dammit!" I screamed, they didn't stop, I felt like I couldn't control myself anymore the boys flew back against sides of the tent and the dampness in the room turned into humidity. "I said to stop." I felt hot, but I wouldn't let the Phoenix take over. I dropped and hit the ground. I put my hands up, I didn't need help.

The boys just stared at me. I took a breath and stood up. I felt really cold now. I  
wrapped my arms around myself.

"Do you know what you just did?" James looked really excited.

"I broke up two idiots fighting."

"You just controlled the power of the Phoenix."

"But I didn't." I looked down at myself; my clothes had burnt holes all in them.

"You had to have controlled it." He picked me up and spun me around.

"No, everyone knows that anyone can control the Phoenix." My voice was getting softer.

"You can, though, Mattie, you did." He held me against him. I wouldn't go to sleep, I couldn't I had to tell them that I was adamant, I wouldn't choose one until I was able to control all my powers all the time.

"Whatever," I sighed, I couldn't put up more of a fight anymore. I nuzzled my face into the crook of his neck.

"You did it," he kissed the top of my head.

I woke up in a car; we were passing under lights in a tunnel. I jolted up.

"Where are we going?" I asked Francis, he looked tired.

"Another place I know about." He pulled out of the tunnel and into an abandoned suburb.

After Ultron took over, the richer people up and left their safe houses and went up to the space stations of S.W.O.R.D. He pulled into the driveway of a very nice house.

"Cool." I wasn't above breaking and entering of an abandoned house. He kicked open the door and carried our bags in. The first thing I did was check to see if the water still ran, it did. I felt disgusting and dirty from being on the road so much.

I stripped down and jumped in the water. It felt amazing. The heat of the water ignited something within me; I wasn't myself anymore. The Phoenix was out of my control. She was hungry, hungry for the feelings of being human. I jumped out of the shower and ran to Francis, I attacked him, I ripped off his jacket and kissed his neck, he was resisting me. I pulled off his shirt and ran my nails down his back. I flew him to a bed. I needed his body, his love…

...

You're love, you're love, you're love, its my drug. And the reveiws you will give me now that I've shared this epitome of literary exellence.


	14. Chapter 14: In Which Cookies are Tossed

*Sigh* After a chapter like that... well here's something even better!

...

I hated myself. God, I am a terrible human being, I hate myself. I'm an idiot. I wish I could die. I pulled the blankets off me and grabbed Francis's jacket. I walked out the double doors that were in the bedroom. My stomach was in knots. I hated my powers, I hated myself. I didn't know what happened; I had no control over myself. I started to cry. I felt like I had forced myself to lose something I had held dear.

"Mattie." Francis held me close, "I'm so sorry." I felt something wet on my neck. I pulled away,

"Francis," I wiped the tears away from his eyes. "You're crying?" He shook his head. I touched his face and felt why he was crying, it only made me cry more; I was his first, too. He wasn't wearing anything at all. I pulled him back into the room; I would try to enjoy it more this time.

I pulled him into the room and onto the bed, I kissed him, he knew what I wanted. He got on top of me and pulled off of the jacket. He kissed my shoulders and then down my arms, I ran my hands up and down his arms. I pressed my hips against his. He thrusted slowly and kept searching my eyes for feelings of pain or discomfort. I kissed him to show him I was fine. He wrapped his arms around me and kept going, I started to moan, it felt good. It was amazing how close I felt to him right now. He stopped to make sure I was okay.

"Keep going." I kissed his chest and ran my nails softly down his back. He said my name in his mind, over and over, sweetly, softly.

"Francis," I groaned. His bit my ear "Oh God!" I yelled I felt myself on the brink; he pushed himself and me farther. He released and I let go too. He held me close as I cried; I really couldn't do this every time I made love.

"Are you okay, Mattie?" I nodded and he held me against his chest, his breathing was labored and I realized I was sweaty. He kissed me. We lay there for a while and then I pulled him up to take a shower with me.

He washed himself off of me and he wrapped me in a towel and kicked me out of the shower.

"I'm not a child, I have seen you naked!"

"Mhmm," I tossed a towel over the top of the shower for him. He shut off the water and walked out of the shower; towel around his waist. "C'mere," he pulled me to him, I pouted at him.

"You really make me feel like a whore." He pulled away from me; an angry look on his face.

"How?" He felt like he had done something wrong I sensed it through his touch.

"You took my innocence, and made me like it," I flirted.

"Well you used your womanly wiles to seduce me," he pulled his towel tighter around him, he was tall and strong. I ran my hands down his cut abs to his towel. I pulled at the edge, he held onto it tight. "No, you've had enough of all this, for a while." He stepped around me and out of the bathroom. I followed him back to our bedroom. As he was getting dressed I caught his eye and let my towel drop, his eyes went big.

I pouted at him; he grabbed my hips and kissed me.

"I would, if my moral code weren't so strict." I popped up on my toes and kissed his nose.

"You can bend some rules right?" I giggled, I liked feeling this way.

"I need to go look around the area to see if there's anything of interest around here." He hugged me and walked downstairs. I closed my eyes and tried to reach out my mind to my friends. I felt like I was searching for phone reception. James was riding his motorcycle somewhere; I wanted to try to talk to him.

_James, hey, where are you going? _

**_Mattie. I'm sorry for the other day. _**

_Are you okay? _

**_Yes, I'm trying to get back to the others; I have a plan. _**

_For what?_

**_For you, we are going to keep you safe._**

_From what?_

**_I'm sorry Mattie; I have to cut your mind off._**

****_Bye, James, I love you, be safe. _The words made my stomach twist.

"Mattie?" Francis was standing in the door way.

"C'mere," I grabbed two handfuls of his shirt and pulled him on top of me. He just looked into my eyes and this slow, smile spread across his lips. He hugged me, I laughed. "That was quick."

"I decided I'd do it some other time."

"You are an extremely strange womanizer, Francis Barton." He flipped onto the other side of the bed.

"Who ever said I was a player?"

"All the heart broken girls who did the walk of shame out of your room on the hellicarrier." He groaned.

"You know that nothing really happened with those girls." He untied his boots and flipped them off onto the floor.

"I know, old habits die hard." He grabbed my butt when I stood up to find some clothes.

He gave me this kiddish shrug, "Old habits right?" I rolled my eyes and pulled on a shirt and pair of pants.

"Idiot," I jumped on the bed making it bang into the wall.

"You know you're in love with me." He started jumping on the bed with me. +

_Three weeks later,_

I pulled the blanket off of the bed and wrapped it around me. Francis searched around for the cover, I kissed his head and smoothed his hair back; he really needed a haircut, it was too long for him to see. He opened his eyes and pulled me back into bed on top of him, kissing me. I pushed away from him.

"They'll be here any time." I raced around the room to try and find the bag with my dress in it. I pulled it on, my stomach was a little puffy, probably all the dehydrated food I'd been eating. I pulled on my boots and ran down to the first floor to pick up the rooms. I incinerated all the trash while I washed the countertops. Francis stumbled down the stairs, pulling on a boot and holding his jacket in his mouth. I pulled his jacket on him and buttoned it up, he smiled. His love hadn't gone away yet, and I caught myself thinking about the future of us. I was in love again with someone, it felt amazing.

"Calm down, they've missed you; your heart is beating like a drum." He held his hand on my heart.

"I'm so nervous." I saw that the couch was crooked from last night, I blushed hard remembering it.

"It's okay; they'll be here in a minuet." He kissed my head and grabbed a granola bar. I heard a knock at the door; I ran to it and threw it open. My friends were all standing there, I checked to make sure that they were real; they were. I couldn't hug them all fast enough. James stood back, his hair was shaved short. He had a killer scar behind his ear and down his neck. He hugged me longer than the others, he sensed something was different about me, but he wouldn't say anything, that's just who he was. He kissed my forehead, he was really emotionally tired. I held him. I heard Pym clear his throat. I pulled away; James kept his hand on the small of my back. Torunn looked from James to me to Francis. Her eyes got really big; she was really good at reading people.

"So… how about some food?" She pulled out a bag of food, it smelled like spaghetti and garlic toast. I usually love Torunn's cooking, especially Italian. I ran to the bathroom and slammed the door, I threw up; it was disgusting. The smell was too… real, and strong. I held onto the bowl. Someone knocked at the door, I locked it. God, I felt like shit.

"Mattie! Let me in!" Francis pounded on the door.

"I'll be find in a sec, just go eat with the others." I threw up again. Someone kicked the door in. James stood loomingly in the door way.

...

Reveiw... reveiw... reveiw... am I just that unintteresting of a writer? THEN TELL ME!


	15. Chapter 15: A Little Glass Flower

Reveiws...

...

"What's the prognosis, Doc?" Benji put away his tools. He had a brooding look on his face.

"Mattie," he looked me in my eyes.

_Yes, Ben?_

_**You're pregnant. **_I stopped breathing, and put my hands on my stomach.

_That's not… no. How do you know? _ I stood up and looked at my stomach.

**_Okay, when was your last menstrual cycle?_**

I didn't respond as I did the math…

**_Exactly, you need to tell them, you need to tell _****him.**

_Okay… just don't tell them till I find a way to bring it up._

_**Okay.**_

****I jumped up off of my bed. Benji looked at me really sadly. I felt my stomach through my dress.

That night, before everyone went off to their rooms, I hugged everyone and kissed their foreheads. James looked into my eyes, he didn't say anything. Francis grabbed me up and I squealed.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

"Just got forgot what real food smelled like is all." The lie stuck in my throat. I kissed him, he smiled at me; his white hair was blocking his eyes. I pushed it back and kissed him again. He held my thighs and I wrapped my legs around his waist. I held him closely; I jumped out of his arms and told him to go up to bed. His kissed my forehead and told me not to stay up too much longer. I cleaned up the dishes and put them away. I grabbed my backpack and the keys to the car; I shut off the light and silently walked out the door.

I was driving to somewhere; I couldn't tell them about what was inside me, that poor baby would never have a chance. I couldn't subject them to that stress and pain. I know it would hurt them that I left, but I would rather hurt them by leaving them than by putting them in danger with the baby.

I got onto a highway; I wished I knew where I was going. After an hour or so, I pulled over to sleep a little bit.

I knew on some level, I couldn't run away forever. I needed to just get away, to help them.

"Mattie, you're an idiot." I told myself. I pressed my hands against my stomach, I didn't want to press to hard, it might break, like a little glass flower. I took a deep breath as I pushed my seat back and tried to go to sleep.

Someone knocked on my window; Torunn. I unlocked the door, she slid into the seat.

"Why'd you run away?" Her voice was forced calm and even.

"I was scared." She looked at me and then looked away.

"Of what?"

"Of putting everyone in danger." She put her head against the dashboard; she was trying so hard to keep calm.

"How could you… or your unborn babe, do that?" She looked at me with her blue eyes full of tears; I hugged my best friend and started crying too.

"I'm sorry." She sobbed into my shoulder; I couldn't help but cry, too. After we were both done, she got out of the car and I did the same. Everyone else was standing in the middle of the road. Francis was shooting arrows into a tree across the highway. Pym hugged me and touched my stomach, he laughed. Aze hugged me too. James looked at me, I felt his pain, yet he was still silent to his words. Francis wouldn't meet my eyes; that made me feel like hell. I touched his arm, he put his bow down.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He said barely audible; his anger clear to see on his face.

"I was scared." He grabbed my arms.

"Of what, Mattie? What if something had happened to you? Do you think I could have ever forgiven myself?" I turned my face away from his. He wiped my tears away and turned my face back towards him. He kissed my forehead and put his hands on my stomach. "We're going to be a family, and nothing could ever hurt us then." He kept his hands on my stomach as he kissed me.

"I love you." He crushed me against him. All I could do was cry with relief.

"Here, I can do that." I picked up the broom and went to sweep off the patio when Pym took it away from me.

"No it's okay, we can do it."

"I'm pregnant, not dying." I put my hand on my stomach, it wasn't that big, considering it had only been a few days since I found out, but the way my friends were acting, you would think I was expecting any moment.

"You don't need to over-exert yourself in your condition." Torunn recited for Benji.

"Thank you, Benji." I snorted. I went back inside to make lunch. Aze was already in there cooking the grilled cheeses. I had finally found real food that still good in the freezer.

"I can take over. Don't you want to go swim?" I took the plate of sandwiches from him. He took them back.

"I can do this." I rubbed my eyes, I was frustrated but didn't want to yell or raise my voice.

"Fine." I went upstairs and gathered up the dirty clothes before they could notice I was actually doing anything. I reached James's room. I hesitated before entering. His bed was made perfectly, sharp corners and crisp edges. His dirty clothes were in a pile in the corner, I gathered them all up. I saw something on his bed-side table. I picked it up. It was the picture the Torunn and Aze had broken when I was on my own. He had taken it. I pressed my fingers against my lips and put it back down. I took his clothes and left.

I was working on folding the laundry when Francis walked in to the laundry room.

"Hey," I said, trying to find the mate to the sock I was holding.

"Hey," he picked it out of the basket and handed it to me.

"Are you going to tell me I shouldn't be over-exerting myself, too?" I picked up a shirt. He shook his head.

"They have just never had someone they know have a baby, before." He grabbed a pair of pants.

"It just makes me feel useless." I put my hand on my tummy. Francis got on his knees and pulled up my shirt. He kissed my stomach. Torunn ran in and smacked his shoulder.

"What are you doing to her?" She snapped. "And Mattie I told you, you need to relax, I had your bed made up so you can take a nap." She tried to pull me out of the laundry room.

"No, I want to finish this, and then _maybe_ I'll take a nap." I pulled out of Torunn's grasp.

"But—"

"I'm fine, okay? I'm not doing anything stressful." I rubbed my eyes, I _was_ getting tired.

"Okay…" she glared at Francis while she backed out of the room.

"Man, she's insane," he kissed me. I pushed his hair back. "She acts like I'm going to carry you away; I don't know what to do with her."

"She could give you a haircut…" he shook his hair in my face.

"I like the shaggy look, it gives me a sense of… yeti-ness."

"Well it makes me feel like I'm kissing a sheep-dog," he licked the side of my face. "Gross!" I wiped it off and smacked his shoulder. He laughed and picked me up so I was sitting on the dryer. He kissed me and ran his hands through my hair. I wrapped my arms around his neck. I heard someone clear his throat.

"James!" I jumped down, he wouldn't look at me.

"Can I have my jacket please, if it's done, I mean." He shoved his hands in his pocket, he was wearing street clothes. I riffled around in the basket and I pulled it out. He took it from me. "Thanks, M." He pulled it on and walked away. I went back to folding clothes in silence. Francis helped me, not saying anything. I felt suddenly very dirty.

...

Daddy I'm keeping my baby.


	16. Chapter 16: In Which a Secret is Shared

Thanks for your time, love the story. Tell me!

...

"Mattie, babe, we need to talk to you," I woke up on the couch. Everyone was sitting around me. Torunn was sitting on Benji's lap. I was happy to see then together like that, but I was still tired, it was insane how much I just wanted to sleep all the time now.

"What? What is it?" I sat up.

"Well, it's about why we came here…" Francis put his arm around me.

"What about it?"

"We are moving again, Tony's coming down to help us."

"Help you what…?"

"Defeat S.E.I.L.D. once and for all."

"But… what have they done?"

"They wanted to make more of all of the superheroes left on earth… And keep the originals locked up so that the mindless copies will be completely complacent." James was pinching the bridge of his nose while Pym explained all of this to me.

"Oh…"

"Ya, so we're getting the Avengers all together and the X-men."

"My parents are going to be there?" I know they were going to take me to S.H.E.I.L.D. so I would be locked up for life, but I would very much like to see them again.

"Ya, our parents had them see reason and they are all on our side now." I got up to get a drink; I was so thirsty all of a sudden. I filled up a tall glass of water and chugged it then another, and another.

"Thirsty much?" I filled up my forth glass. Benji said. He came over and felt my stomach. His hands were cold. "I need an ultrasound, you're pregnancy is what I would call… high-risk." I backed away from him.

"Okay, I should be getting back." I filled up my glass again and went back in there.

"Mattie, who do you want to ride with?" Francis asked.

"You could ride with me!" Pym chirped.

"I would feel safer if you and I flew together to the safe-house, best-friend Mattie." Torunn nodded.

"We could always ride together." Aze said quietly.

"Wait, how are we even getting there? You guys didn't bring cars."

"Oh! New stuff." Pym held out his wrist, there was metal band. "Just take this off, press the button and wahmoo! Instant transportation for two. Tony sent them to us!"

"Mattie, I'll go up and pack, while you choose."

"James?" He looked up at me.

"What?"

"I want to ride with you."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, verily."

Francis put the rest of our stuff in the trunk of the car. He kissed my forehead and put his hands on my stomach and kissed it. I got in the little space-ship shaped hover craft with James. Everyone took off in front of us. James turned the engine off.

"What did you need to talk about, M?" He looked right at me.

"Do you hate me?" He shook his head.

"We both knew it would happen one day," he turned the craft back on. "I could never hate you; I could feel hurt, but not hate." He flew up into the sky. "I was hurt when you ran away the other day. I hate that Francis took advantage of you." He gripped the steering device; his knuckles white.

"It wasn't like that… the Phoenix came out in me." I didn't want to have this conversation.

"Really, every time? I'm just sure it wasn't his womanizing ways." I closed my eyes; I had just got really tired all of a sudden. I put my hands on my stomach and gently massaged it. James was silent till we got above a mountain in the middle of nowhere.

"Mattie, hey, wake up, we're here," I flipped over in the seat, I wanted to sleep.

_As soon as I got inside,_

"Everything looks good right now, but that's interesting."

"What is?" Francis took my hand. Benji cleaned off the ultrasound.

"It's twins." I took a deep breath.

"Twins…" Francis smiled even brighter.

"As in… two babies?"

"Yup." I looked at my growing tummy in a different light; two new lives were growing in me.

"Woh…" Francis wouldn't stop smiling.

"I heard that the others should be getting here anytime." I cleaned off my stomach and pulled my shirt down.

"Awesome!" I hopped off the table and darted to the door, I wanted to see my parents!

"Slow down, Mattie!" Francis yelled. I skidded to a stop in the hallway of this enormous compound, it used to be a Stark Industries lab, but Tony had transformed it.

"Now… where was the main room again." I reached my mind out to Torunn,

_Hey, are the adults here yet?_

_**No, what did Benji say? Where are you?**_

****_Twins, and can you come find me?_

_**Twins! Congratulations! Oh! Ya, just keep talking to me, I think I can find you.**_

****_Thanks._

_**I can't believe you're going to be a mother of two! **_

****_Neither can I._

_**You should name one of them Torunn… if it's a girl, of course. **_

****_I'll think about it._

_**I'm just so excited! Why are you not squealing and jumping up and down and crying and sewing blankets and dancing.**_

_It just hasn't sunk in, I think, but all that stuff is going to come up, I'm sure. _Torunn stopped right in front of me and hugged me, it hurt, and her Agardianess was coming out in her again.

"Mattie! I we have to go and find baby clothes…" she started pulling me towards the main room when James came walking down the hallway with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey," I said softly, he nodded and kept walking.

"Hi, Brother James," Torunn smiled at him kindly.

I was lead to the main room just as the big double doors opened to let in some more people. They're minds were all familiar and real. I ran to my parents and hugged them, my mother started to cry a little bit, but I did, too.

"Mattie," my dad hugged me and I pulled away to get the tears out of my eyes.

"It's so great to see you guys again." The X-men all smiled and said hello.

"Are the Avenger's here yet?" Logan asked in a growling tone, he was trying for a fight.

"No, but they should be, soon." Everyone started to mill about the old aircraft hangar. My parents stayed with me. I took a deep breath.

"Mom, Dad, I have something really important to tell you." They looked a little confused. I didn't know if I could do this, "I'm… uh… I'm… expecting." My mother smiled and touched my stomach, my dad still looked confused. I saw the pieces click into place.

"Who did this to my baby? I'm gonna go an' rip 'im a new one." I saw Francis walk in carrying an envelope, he caught one look at my dad and turned to run, my dad went after him, I felt silly, but I didn't want to go after them, I thought my dad was going to kill him, yell at him, or beat him.

"I'm not sorry it happened!" I heard Francis yell, my dad punched him, my mom and I ran to go break them up. The Avengers ran in and heard the commotion.

"Dad!" I tried to pull him off of Francis mentally, it didn't work, I tried to make a shield between them, that didn't work either; my powers weren't working. I just ran up and got in the middle of the fight. "Dad, calm down, okay?" He grunted and backed up. I looked at Francis, his lip was bleeding, and his eye was starting to blacken. I looked at my dad, he was so… crazed. My mom was trying to calm him down, Bobbie and Clint stared at us and then Francis's mom said,

"Francis! You got Mattie pregnant? How could you?" I smiled in spite at myself at his dad's face, he was just smirking like 'That's my boy.'

"So when are you two going to get married then?" My dad spat. That caught me off guard.

"What?" I held onto Francis's arm for support.

"You two are going to start a family, right? You need to be married first."

"Dad…" I didn't know what to do, everyone was staring at us.

"It's the right thing to do," my mom whispered. I nodded, not is acceptance, but in acknowledging the statement.

"Here are the ultrasound pictures," Francis pressed them into my hands. I opened them up beside our parents, Benji had circled the two little bubbles that would be my babies. Everyone was crowding around to see it.

"Where's the baby?" Jubilee asked.

"It's the two bubbles." My mom pressed her fingers against her lips.

"Mattie Marie, why are there two bubbles?" My dad wrapped his arm around my shoulders and took the pictures from me. He kissed my head and smiled both of my parents looked like they were about to cry. I hugged them both.

...

Such a touching moment. I love it when an un-planned pregnancy comes together.


	17. Chapter 17: In Which Cravings are Fed

This chapter made me really hungry for mac'n'cheese

...

_Supper time, that night,_

"—and then wham! Into the wall, he completely started beating me." My dad laughed as Francis recollected what had gone down earlier that day. I moved my food around my plate, my stomach didn't feel very good, but I couldn't tell anyone that, they'd freak and not let me have any rest. I picked up my plate and acted like I was going into the kitchen to get some more. I took my plate in and scraped it off into the trash, a few years ago, I wouldn't have thought about wasting food, but now I was just throwing it away.

"Chocolate covered sunflower seed?" James held out a tube of colorful seeds, he knew that they were the only thing I could never get enough of, and they did sound really good. I held out my hand and he poured some out. I picked them up one at a time and popped them in my mouth. I sat up on the counter top and ate the most delicious food in the world. He smiled softly and poured some more for me.

"Thanks," he shrugged.

"You really should eat some real food, your little sea monkeys are hungry. I put my hands on my stomach.

"Nothing really seems like I could eat it at all."

"Everyone's really happy for you," he poured some sunflower seeds into his mouth.

"Are you?" He bumped his shoulder against mine.

"Well I always thought I would be the man getting beat up by your dad." I smiled and put my head on his shoulder, I was really tired again. He filled up a glass with water and handed it to me, I drank it down. I put my hands back on my stomach,

"What if I screw up? There are two new little people living inside of me now, what if something happens? What if I do something wrong?"

_What if they have my shitty powers?_ He hugged me to calm me down; my tears were shaking my body.

"Shhhhh," he rocked me back and forth, "Mattie, if they are your babies, they will have to be awesome, it's just logical, you may make mistakes, but everyone does; nobody expects you to be perfect." I hiccupped.

"But I don't want to fail them, I can't fail them." He rubbed my back soothingly.

"You won't fail. I'll make sure of it."

_That night,_

"It's really funny, your dad and my mom act like I was the only one who did this," Francis said as he brushed his teeth before he went to bed.

"You are the one who let me keep going." I traced circles on my stomach; Benji had told me I would feel any real movement for a couple of months still. I pulled out the pictures of the little sea monkeys in my belly. I couldn't believe that those two little bubbles would be babies. I looked through the little stack of black and white pictures. I put them back in my side table drawer.

I pulled my shirt down and looked up at the exposed ceiling; one thing was completely sure, this place wasn't made for warm and cozy feelings. Francis came in and kissed me, then kissed my stomach. He was just wearing boxers. I turned off my light and pulled the blankets around me. He seemed to want to say something.

"Anything on your mind besides bows and arrows?" He pulled me against him.

"We could do it, you know?"

"I don't really feel like it, I'm kinda already preggers."

"No, not like that, we could get married." I pulled away from him to look in his eyes.

"What?" I asked him. "You know, that's like a binding contract, you can't just upgrade for a newer model, or skip out with everything."

"Why would I do that? You're the love of my life, and you are having my babies."

"Even when I get to be the size of a small planet?"

"There will be more of you to love." He kissed my ear.

"Are you sure?" He nodded and pulled me back to him again.

"Yes, are you? Because I won't make you do this, if you don't want to."

"I don't know…" He kissed my forehead; I felt his certainty and love.

"It's okay; you don't have to decide right now."

"I love you, Francis."

"I love you too, Mattie." My head dipped low and I snapped it back up. "Go to sleep, Mattie, the babies need to rest, too." I nodded, and yawned.

"Good night," I murmured.

"When are we going to confront S.H.E.I.L.D.?" I asked as I picked at my scrambled eggs and oatmeal during breakfast. All the talking and laughing stopped and everyone's eyes were on me.

"Are you crazy? Best-friend Mattie, we are not going to let you anywhere near that fight, your condition is too delicate."

"I can fight still, can't I? I want to help you guys, I have to help you guys." Everyone voiced their disdain.

"She could always use Tony's computers to hack into the computers." James said plainly.

"I could do that! With a little help…"

"I can help train you," Pym chirped, Tony still hadn't arrived yet.

"See? I can totally help." Francis stood up.

"No, you are going to go to go down into the safe room, where you will be protected and safe the entire time." He said with a strict air of finality.

"You must have heard me wrong, I'm going to help hack the computers from here, and I'll be safe." I stood up so he couldn't tower over me that much. "If you'll excuse me," I left my plate and ran to the bathroom to puke. I held onto the bowl and retched up all of the food that I had possibly eaten for the past day. When I was done I rinsed out my mouth and just hugged my knees. I was so tired, and laid my head on my arms and went to sleep.

I pulled the blankets up around me more. It felt so nice to be sleeping. I jolted up and realized that I wasn't in the bathroom anymore. Francis was sitting at the foot of the bed, his head in his hands, fast asleep. I pushed his hair out of his eyes. He opened his eyes and sat up.

"I'm so sorry I was such a royal ass earlier, I—I just care about you, all three of you, more than anything in the world, and I couldn't bare it if anything happened and I couldn't protect you." I held his head in my hands and searched his eyes to see if he was done.

"I understand, but I have a mind of my own, a very independent mind, and I would like to think I wouldn't put our babies in danger." He gently pushed me back onto the bed and kissed me.

"Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" He pressed his forehead against mine.

"I'm really hungry," He jumped up and was pulling on his jacket.

"Okay, I'll go make some eggs and toast and OJ."

"Um… I was wanting something different…"

"Like what? A veggie burger and sweet potato fries?" I shook my head.

"Like fish sticks, mac 'n' cheese and chocolate milk."

"But I don't think we have that in insta-packets…" Another brilliant Stark Industries invention, pop the premade food into a microwave and in 30 short seconds, fresh delicious food hot out of the nuker.

"Oh, well, I'll just get something later, I mean, its okay." I pulled on my boots; they felt like they were too small. I just pulled them back off. I touched Francis's face and went to get some fresh clothes on, my shirt felt like it was creeping up my stomach a little bit. Francis watched me and then handed me his jacket when I gave up looking for a shirt. I buttoned it up. His kissed the top of my head and left with me on his arm. The Next Avengers were with the adults talking strategy. I let Francis go on over there and walked into the kitchen to find something. I searched through the cabinets and the freezer.

"You've got to be god-damn kidding me, 500 million dollars went into this place and they don't have a single fucking box of mac and cheese." I growled and sat down on the no-wax floor of the kitchen to pout. I tried to think of a way to get out of here to get a box of macaroni and cheese and milk, oh my God I just wanted chocolate milk!

I stood back up and went to go find some shoes, any shoes would do, I just couldn't go out in nothing; money, I'd need money, too, as much as I wished I could just take it like the good old days, I couldn't. I ran back to my room and searched for a pair of shoes, I had to get my mac and cheese; I was so hungry!

I threw my boots against the wall and started crying, I was going to get so fat.

"Is something wrong Mattie?" James was leaning in the doorway.

"My god-damn feet are too god-damn big to fit in the god-damn shoes to get some fucking mac and cheese." His brown hair was growing back thicker now. He sat down on the floor with me. He pulled a backpack from behind him and sat it in front of me.

"Here, I thought you might need this." I unzipped it.

"Thank God!" I pulled out box after box of powered chocolate milk and Macaroni and cheese, at the bottom of the bag there was a stack of clothes I pulled them out, they were all very nice and big. I reached the bottom of the bag; shoes!

"I know, they aren't as nice as your boots, but Benji said that your feet were going to hurt like crazy, and I thought they looked comfortable." I pulled on the pair of suede house boots; it was like my feet were in heaven. I lay back on the floor and sighed with contentment. Before I could go to sleep, I popped back up and put all the stuff back in my bag except for a packet of powdered milk and a box of Mac 'n' cheese. I ran back to the kitchen to find a pan and glass. I couldn't get the water to boil quick enough. I poured in the noodles and filled a glass with chocolate milk, I sipped it, enjoying every minute of the pure bliss. I stirred the noodles in the pan, waiting for them to be al dente to put the powdered cheese on. I didn't even bother to get a bowl; I just found a spoon and dove in.

"Mmmmm." I said, oblivious to the world. Someone came up and grabbed my hips; I jumped away and held my spoon out in defense.

"What does that stuff taste like?" Francis asked me about to stick his finger in the pot, I batted it away and handed him my spoon.

"Taste it," he was unsure about it. I spooned some up to his mouth, he shook his head. "C'mon." He opened his mouth a little bit I shoved the spoon in.

"Ibts… goob." He said though a mouth full of pasta. I nodded.

...

Reveiw if you love food! :D just kidding, but you need to reveiw it, 'cuz this story, may just change you life. maybe. But only if you read it!


	18. Chapter 18:In Which Bones are Broken

LET"S DO THE TIME LAPSE AGAIN! It's just a quick little read, and then another reveiwwwwwww. Put name and the date. and the submit it tonightttttt and it'll make me happppppppy. All the tiiiiiiiiiiiimee. (To the tune of Time Warp for Rocky Horror).

...

_Three months later,_

"So then I go through the mainframe and get through the fire wall to access their files, but they will be password protected so I use this thingamajig and plug it into the computer." I ran through the plan with Pym, we were going to do a dry run tomorrow morning and then everyone was going to leave." I rubbed my stomach, it was getting bigger; I was wearing one of the shirts James had brought me. I felt something like little bubbles squirm around in my stomach, I laughed,

"What is it Mattie?" Pym asked, he turned away from the computer to see my feeling my stomach.

"The babies," I pressed his hand against my stomach and he giggled.

"It feels weird, how can you stand it?" I went back to looking at the computer to see what I was supposed to do.

"It's amazing." He nodded and went back to reviewing with me. He finished up and shut everything down. He helped me out of the chair, even though I didn't really need it.

"About tomorrow morning…" Pym started.

"You guys are going to go through the plan one more time and then you are going to go to the east coast to battle S.H.E.I.L.D. and I'll stay back and hack their files to see where the traps are going to be set."

"Well yes, and I wanted you to know, I think someone should stay here with you, just in case and-"

"You wanted to do it?" I laughed. I wouldn't be against Pym staying back with me, but I knew that would never happen; they were all part of a team; you couldn't just take a part away from that, if I were, it would be incredibly selfish.

"Yes, but, I think something might happen, well I'm afraid something might happen if we leave you here all alone, so I wanted to make sure you had your gun."

"Wait, what do you mean 'alone'? I thought Benji was going to stay."

"That's another thing, he's agreed to go Hulk for us and the adults think that he'll be able to control even better than his father did."

"Oh," I said sadly, "But that's good, no offense, but you guys need all the help you can get."

"Don't I know that." I suddenly got a massive headache. In my temple, I pressed my fingers against it to massage it away. I hear Torunn scream from the training room, I tried to run there but Pym flew off before me. I got to the door to see James on the ground, his arm was all twisted. I held my stomach, it was too much. Benji was there checking it out.

"How did this happen, Tori?" Banji asked as he put a split on James's arm.

"We were training, nothing hard, just doing some climbing and I said something and then he slipped." She looked at me and her eyes went wide.

"What did you say?" I asked, walking over.

"It doesn't matter, Mattie, you need to go back out you shouldn't see this."

"What did you say to James?"

"Mattie…"

"Please, just tell me."

"It was about your wedding, if you were getting married, Francis asked James to be his best man, and I asked him how he would deal with it if you moved away from Avengers Mountain." She picked me up and flew me back to my room.

"Francis?" Torunn called. He was in the bathroom taking a shower. She left me there and flew back to James. I took off my clothes and jumped in the shower with Francis.

He turned around and jumped. Suds running down his face.

"You're a creep, you know that? No one sneaks up on me like that except you." He rubbed my slick stomach. Man, I was growing fast; I had stretch marks, gross.

"I try to impress," I hugged him; I don't know what I would do without him. He leaned down to kiss my neck,

"What's the matter, beautiful?" I started to sob.

"I just feel like I can't protect you without my powers, but I can't make you stay here either, I can't let my friends go out there without me, but I can't but the sea monkeys in danger." I hugged me again.

"You are just full of conundrums."

"James screwed up his arm," He pulled back to look at me and shut off the water,

"What?" He opened the door of the shower and reached for towels. He pulled one around my shoulders and wrapped the other around his waist.

"He fell… training with Torunn today." He slipped and slid into our room for some clothes.

"How bad did it look?" He searched under the bed for a pair of pants. I handed him a shirt,

"It was twisted around." He shook his head.

"Shit," He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hand.

"Does that mean he can't go on the mission?" My stomach twisted, I held it.

"Not with a broken arm," he ran out and down to the infirmary.

I pulled on some clothes and followed him. I hesitated outside the door, what if I couldn't do this? I reached out to talk to James with my mind,

_James?_

**_Yeah, Mattie? Where are you?_**

_Outside, is it safe to come in? _

**_There's no blood if that's what you mean. _** I opened the door. His parents were there and so where his brothers and sister. The adults were talking in hushed whispers with the team.

"Mattie," James leaned up, his right arm was in a thick cast.

"Hey," I sat on the edge of his bed. He laughed, I couldn't quite sit straight; my stomach was too big. The babies were kicking around now, I pulled his hand onto my stomach, his eyes grew wide is disbelief.

"What is that?" He moved his hand around and smiled.

"The sea monkeys are kicking."

"That's amazing." He pulled his hand away when they stopped.

That brings up a funny point, Francis had never felt the babies move, he would run over when I told him they were moving, but then they would stop. I knew it hurt him more than anything, he thought it was a rejection by his children, but it wasn't that. Benji told me that they moved to get comfortable, if they were comfortable, they didn't feel they had to move. I told Francis that and he understood it, but he still felt hurt.

"I know, it's amazing how fast they grow." Francis walked over to me.

"Mattie?" I stood up, man, my belly stuck out.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"We moved the mission up, we're leaving tonight, and James is staying here with you."

"Oh, okay, when are you going to leave, I'll get your stuff packed."

"Right away," He kissed my forehead and walked out of the room. Torunn hugged me, Aze and

Pym ran over to me and hugged me.

"Mattie?" Captain America walked over to me; he was an imposing figure as he loomed over me.

"Yes, Mr. Rogers?"

"Take care of my boy." He patted my shoulder and left.

"Well that wasn't awkward…" I sat down in the chair by his bed; he got out of bed. "Hey! You need to stay put! I think you need to not move your arm; he grabbed a sling and put it on.

"Happy? I need to go talk to the Avengers." He left me alone too. I looked around the room, in about 4 months I would be having two babies. It could be a little homier… The ceilings were really high and the walls were cold and plain.

I shut off the lights and went to go find my friends; that wasn't much of a goodbye earlier. I rubbed my stomach; I had a secret, a beautiful wonderful secret Benji had told me. I made sure I still had the envelope.

"Francis?" I asked in our room, he was pushing stuff into his bag. I stood in the doorway, unsure of what to say.

"Mattie," he smiled warmly at me.

"I had an ultrasound today," he had been downstairs gathering up supplies and I didn't want to bother him.

"Why didn't you tell me? I want to be there for everything." I held out the envelope. He opened it up, he pulled out the pictures. Benji had done a 3-D ultrasound so you could see their little faces and hands and tummies. Francis sat on the bed heavily.

"They're so… real." I sat next to him,

"Yup, you made those," I bumped his shoulder; he put his arm around me. I kissed him, I pushed him back onto the bed and straddled him; he held me back. I leaned down and kissed him.

"Mattie," he didn't want to move me, but someone was knocking at the door. I rolled off of him and looked at my stretch marks, these would never go away, and I was only four months in. I reached for the cream Benji had given for my stomach, I didn't like the texture or the smell, but he had made it for me specially. Torunn walked in and took the jar from me.

"I'll do that for you." She smeared the goop on my growing bump.

"Thanks, Torunn." She looked in pain at the thought of leaving me here.

"Go, you need to go save the entire Superhero race from utter annihilation."

"Okay," she hugged me one more time.

"Bye, be safe." She ran out of the room before she could cry. Francis came back over and picked up the pictures again, he picked out the best one and put it in the front pocket of his jacket. I kissed him; he picked me up and laughed.

"I love you," I said to him between kisses.

"I love you—wait, what are the babies?"

"What?" He held me away from him.

"You said that this one would show the sex, it's just of the faces…"

"Oh, that's for me to know, and you to come back to me to find out."

"You are evil, truly." He kissed me.

...

Would you do something that dastardly? I think you would, because no one has reveiwed this yet.


	19. Chapter 19: In Which CPUs are Used

19 chapters in 3 days. Not one reveiw... unhappy is my mood right now. But I do have a follower. THANK YOU!

...

"Okay, James, make sure that she takes her vitamins, eats and—," he lectured as he shook James' good hand and said something I couldn't hear that made James smirk.

"If you're really that insecure in your relationship, maybe you shouldn't have gone and got her pregnant." He said bitingly.

"Boys!" I pushed them both a part, the babies kicked up a storm and I wavered. Both of the guys went to grab me. Francis touched my stomach and pulled away. He touched it again, He grabbed me and kissed me, he had finally felt the babies kick.

"Hawkeye, I know this is an emotional time, but we need to leave… now." He hugged me one more time and got into the carrier. I wasn't supposed to hack into the computer till they gave me the signal which wouldn't be for a day or two.

"Bye," I whispered. James stood by me as they flew out of the hangar. I pulled away from him and went into the kitchen to make macaroni and cheese.

"C'mere, James!" He slunk into the kitchen and grabbed an apple.

"Ya?" He asked, whipping the juice off of his chin.

"Do you want some Mac 'n' cheese?" He nodded and I pulled out two bowls. I filled them both up and took mine out to the television area.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" I nodded, we only had vintage movies to play in the projector, he told me how to feed the film into the projector and it started up. I finished up my food and sat the bowl on the table. I went to sleep, surprise, surprise.

My phone was vibrating on the floor; I grabbed at it and looked at the screen.

"Hey baby, how you doing?" Francis asked; I heard papers rustling and a motor running.

"Fine, how are you?" I heard a burst of static.

"Sorry," his phone cut out. "I just wanted to catch you before you went to sleep."

"You did," I sat up and rubbed my stomach.

"I love you, I wanted to tell you again."

"I love you, too, Francis."

"Great, I have to go again, be safe, Mattie, love you, bye." The phone clicked off.

"Cool," I tossed my phone over on the table. I flipped over to go back to sleep, but I couldn't. James was sleeping on the floor, his arm tucked against his side.

"James?" I whispered. He groaned. I scampered down and nuzzled against his side, I felt really lonely now. He let me lay on his arm; the babies were wiggling and snuggling down for the night. I took out the picture that Benji had printed out special, it was for Francis when he got back; I'd show him his children. James took the picture from me,

"Congrats, M, or should I mama?" I swatted at him.

"Okay, Uncle James." He stopped smiling then. "I'm sorry." I apologized. He handed me back the picture.

"Good night," He pulled his blanket over me.

"Good night," he let me sleep with him all night.

_The next morning,_

"Okay, we're in, start hacking, Mattie," I went through all the steps Pym had taught me, I had my ear-bud in so I was connected with the team.

"I'm in the main system, now what?"

"Look for anything pertaining to 'Operation: new wave'."

"Checking," I searched all the files, no one was telling what exactly was going on where they were, but I had to be there eyes and ears, James was watching the security footage we were taking from the cameras.

"Watch out, there's a guard to your three o'clock, goddess (Torunn)."

"Ten-four, Patriot." She stopped at the hallway and waited for the guard to come close enough for her to hit him.

"Yellow Jacket, shrink and follow the group of men coming from your left."

"I found something on the Operation: New Wave."

"Yeah?" I scanned the article.

"It's headed up by some hydra guy I've never heard of, Von Gurr? I don't know, but everything has the green light, he just needs the Heroes' DNA to start formulating the serum. Captain, you're going to want to hear this,"

"What is it, Agent M?" I cleared my throat.

"They've made another super solider."

"Great, any idea where it is?"

"Somewhere in the science lab, they've had to grow it from an embryo. It's called Winter Guard." I touched my stomach; I would never let that happen to my babies.

I looked through the rest of the reports and couldn't find anything else.

"M, I need you to look in the labs to see if anyone is in there." I skipped down the levels and into the labs, there were scientist and guards by the boat loads.

"Oh ya, there are about 16… 17 scientists and just as many guards."

"Okay, guys, we need to split them up evenly,"

"Or I could set off the fire alarm… S.H.E.I.L.D. doesn't pay any of them enough to stay where it's on fire." I set off the fire alarm sprinklers; they ran like rats from a sinking ship.

"All clear," James snorted at my tactic.

...

What are the babies? Will Francis come home safe and sound? Will anyone perish? Will someone new join the team?


	20. Chapter 20: In Which a Jerk Shows Up

I really am running out of heart and soul to lay on the table for you people!

...

"We'll be home by tomorrow morning." Francis said though the video feed.

The mission had been a success, the Avengers and X-men had shut down the main lab on the hellicarrier and they were bringing the reports and research back to the base to look over them.

"Awesome, the sea monkey's missed you."

"And as soon as I get done kissing you to death, you're going to tell me right?" I nodded,

"With some persuasion of course."

"Whatever you say, momma." His smile, as he said that, is forever burned right into the very core of my heart. "Love you."

"Love you too, Francis. Can you put on Benji?"

"Why? Is something wrong? Has James not been taking care of you?" I shook my head.

"No, I just have a question for him." Benji's face appeared in the screen.

"Mattie? Is something wrong with the babies?" I saw Torunn's arms snake up around his chest.

" No, I was just wondering if you had let it slip to Francis, yet." His eyes darted up and I knew

Francis was watching him.

"Um… No…" His eyes were watching Francis and I knew he wanted Benji to tell him.

"Good, because he won't know until he gets back to me safe and sound." I heard an angry groan. "Bye, Benji, Torunn and Francis!"

I shut off the computer and stood up; my legs felt like jelly, James escorted me to my room. I lay

back on my bed and he flopped down beside me.

"So what are you going to name them?" He tapped my stomach.

"I don't know yet…" I certainly wasn't going to tell him that I thought I might have the name James in part of it.

"I'm sure you'll find the perfect names." he put his good arm behind his head and sighed.

"So…" I didn't know how to bring this up lightly. "What's wrong between you and Hawkeye?"

"Nothing is really _wrong_ between us, it's like two positive magnets, as hard as you try; they will never be besides each other."

"Oh, okay," I rubbed my stomach. He took my hand in a friendly way.

"Do you still doubting your mad momma skillz?"

"I don't know; life is a string of mistakes that you make better and learn from, right?"

"You're going to be a great mom, M."

"Thanks, James, you're a great friend."

"It's funny, you know," he laughed.

"What is?"

"I always thought I'd be the one you'd have babies with." I looked at him, confused.

"What?" He shrugged.

"I always wanted to marry you, and to raise a family with you, but I guess that wasn't meant to be." I sat up.

"C'mon, really? You broke up with me, James, you obviously didn't see me as that." He sat up and grabbed my arms.

"I did it because I felt selfish keeping you all to myself, when Francis told me that he liked you, I thought you would like the change."

"That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard." I rubbed my stomach; this was going to be crazy. I felt like my insides were being stretched out. I waddled my way to the bathroom to go pee for the millionth time. I felt incredibly fat, soon to get fatter, I'd already grown more since the others went on the mission.

"You okay, Mattie?" I washed my hands and went back to lie down on my bed. I pulled my blanket up around me, my feet were swollen. Gross. James held his shattered arm and grimaced. He pulled out a bottle and popped some of the pills.

"You need to go lay down, that arm of yours needs to be healed up." He nodded and left.

I was nervously awaiting everyone's return. The babies were kicking up a storm. I gasped and James ran over.

"What is it?" I pulled up my shirt and you could see my stomach moving. He looked very uneasy about that.

"The babies are just swimming around in there." He hesitantly put his hands on both sides, feeling the movement. His smile slowly grew across his face and then he was laughing.

"It's amazing; I've never felt anything like that." The doors opened and Francis came running in. His duffle bag was tossed aside and he picked me up and swung me around. My stomach pressed up against him and the babies kicked around, they knew who their daddy was. He kissed me and then my stomach and then me again. My telepathic power turned on for a moment and I realized that everyone was here, along with someone I didn't know. Francis sat me down and I looked at the new guy. His eyes were black and red, like my father, his dark hair was shaggy of fell over one of his eyes. I stepped toward him.

"Milo?"

"Ya… It's me Mattie, they didn't tell me you were knocked up…"

...

He's a poopface... I really didn't understand why I made him that way either.


	21. Chapter 21: Gemini

I'm not gonna take this, no no! I'm not gonna take this. I'm not gonna take this, any more... Reveiw this!

...

"Are you going to tell me?" I was lying in bed and Francis was massaging my feet, I had put off telling him what his babies were.

"Maybe, but I'm really tired…"

"C'mon!" I casually pulled out the 3-D ultrasound. Looked at it for a moment and handed it to him. His brow furrowed and then he scampered up to hug me.

His kissed my temple and touched my stomach.

"A little girl and boy, we made those, amazing." His voice was breathless with awe.

"Do you still love me?" This was a serious question.

"What? Of course I do! You're the mother of my children, I love you so much."

"Is that why you love me?" He looked confused. "You love me now, because I'm pregnant with your babies, but would you still love me if I wasn't?"

"Yes." He stood up and went to his duffle bag. I noticed a slight limp in his walk.

"Are you hurt?" He shook his head, digging around in his dirty clothes.

He pulled something out and walked back over to me. Getting down on one knee, he held out a beautiful engagement ring.

"Will you marry me, Mattie LeBeau?" This was a huge decision.

"Mattie, you must tell me what type of clothes to acquire for your babes." Torunn was training with her sword. I was sitting back in a chair, flipping my knife back and forth, I would have to stop that before I had the babies, I didn't want them picking up my bad habits. My boobs hurt so badly.

"I told you, just get what you want to get me, it'll work." She pondered this for a moment.

"So I could get two male garbs and they would suffice, or two female dressed and they shall also work?" I was tired. Being 7th months pregnant was a lot of work.

"Or one of each…" She grinned from ear to ear.

"This is a great omen indeed." My Mother came in and told me I needed to go to bed. I stood up with difficulty. Francis and James were talking quietly in the kitchen when I walked in.

"Hey Guys," I rubbed my stomach and got a glass of water. I felt like a big sack of water pretty much. I had a line running up and down my stomach now. Benji was checking me every day now. I'm pretty sure it creeps out Francis when Benji checks my dilation. Nothing really fazes me anymore. I'm just so tired all the time. My wedding would be soon. Francis wanted to be married before I had the babies. Sadly, I would not have a great big wedding, my mother had found a priest to ordain the ceremony and then it would be done.

"Hey, M," James shook a bag of macaroni into the boiling water.

"How'd you know?" I smiled and sat down in a chair. The babies were too big to move around very much anymore, and it I felt in the right spots, I could feel the babies pressing against my stomach. The cream Benji had worked like a charm, I didn't have any stretch marks, but I did have that line. I couldn't even take a full breath anymore. Francis always smiled when he saw me, big fat me. I took the bowl of macaroni and cheese from James. I took my vitamins and scarfed down the pasta. I tried to get up to move but I couldn't. Francis helped me. He held me for a moment; our faces were very far apart now that our children are between us. I sighed. Tired was all I ever was now.

But then something was wrong. I felt it. Something was very wrong. Francis saw the look on my face.

"What's wrong?" My mouth opened scared. My water had broken. I tried to take a deep breath but I couldn't the babies weren't supposed to come yet. Francis tried to help me, but I couldn't James rushed over and helped Francis get me to the infirmary. Benji was reading something on his tablet, but seeing the guys and the look on my face he rushed me to a bed.

...

DUH DUH DUUUUUHHHHHH. C'mon, If no one reads this, I'm going to not post the rest of it. Period. You don't car about it, so I will not post it on the interwebz.


	22. Chapter 22: In Which I Was Like Baby

Did you read chapter 19? Because I think you should.

WHY YOU NO REVEIW?

...

"Push, Mattie, you have to push." I held onto my mom and Torunn's hand, crushing them more like, but I couldn't help it. I took another breath. Francis was worried sick. Benji had ordered James to get him out of the room unless he could compose himself. I could hear him freaking out in the hall. I focused on pushing. Always pushing. Would it never end? I heard a small cry. I looked up. Benji held up my son. Time stopped. Francis ran in and saw him. Tears welled up in his eyes as benji handed him his goop covered son. I had to keep pushing. Benji encouraged me all the way. Francis was frozen looking at his firstborn. I pushed and then Benji picked up my daughter. Something was wrong. She wasn't crying. He rushed off with her. I yelled for him. Someone helped me with the grossest part. Afterbirth. I felt that I was sweating profusely. I turned to look at my mother, scared.

"Momma, what's wrong with her?" I saw Benji doing something, but I couldn't keep my head up. I was so tired. Francis wrapped our son in a blanket, he was still dirty. I help my son for the first time. I used my sleeve to start whipping off his soft skin. I was in love. His eyes were wide open and curious about the world.

"Etienne James Barton, EJ." the white down on his head was soft against my lips as I held him.

"What was that?" James asked, standing in the doorway. I couldn't meet his eyes.

Francis kissed me.

"You see how perfect his is?" He kissed my forehead again. I heard a cry from where Benji was. His shoulders relaxed. He carried her back over.

"She's perfectly fine." He smiled and handed her to Francis, wrapped in a blanket. Francis would be a great father, albeit a young one. Etienne burrowed closer to my breast. I wasn't going to breast feed. Benji thought my powers would return soon after giving birth. I had to savor the moments of real physical contact I would have with my babies. I showered E.J. with kisses. Francis handed me my baby girl and took back E.J. My little angel blinked at me and little smile played across her lips. I kissed her her little fingers wrapped around me. I need to give them both baths. I tried to stand up, but between the feeling of utter exhaustion and the hands that kept me down, I didn't get to.

"What's her name?" I asked Francis. We had decided that we would pick the names for the opposite babies. I trusted him to pick something suitable.

"Robin… Robin Elizabeth." He was very proud.

"Perfect."

...

Everything's down hill from now right? Babies are born, yada yada yada.

Reveiw it!


	23. Chapter 23: A Moment of Tenderness

This is just a little moment I really loved.

...

One of the babies was crying again. I went to get up from bed and Francis touched my shoulder.

"I got this one, babe." He walked into the nursery. I crept out of bed and listened to him.

"Hey little EJ." He had been okay with the name. He picked up our son. He sat down with him in the rocking chair. He started singing.

"People smile and tell me, I'm the lucky one, and we've just begun. Think I'm gonna have a son. He will be like she and me, free as a dove." I leaned against the wall and listened. His voice was soft and soothing. "Conceived in love, sun is gonna shine above. Even though we ain't got money, I'm so in love with you honey. And in the morning, when I rise, you bring a tear to my eye." He rocked him back and forth. Benji had told us not to feed them every time they woke up at night. Superhero parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles, it could be worse… EJ went back to sleep and walked out of the room. I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him.

"I'm so in love with you honey." He just hugged me back. He sent his emotions through to me, my powers were back. And my mother was helping me control the absorption power. It was slow going because she didn't know which mental wall she needed Jean to help her break down.


	24. Chapter 24: In Which Everything is Quiet

This is all I have. I have given you my baby and nothing has been said, positive, negative, nothing... :(

...

Torunn was hogging my children again. She was sitting up in the rafters feeding them both out of bottles. I was going through the clothes I had amassed in the weeks since I had the babies. They certainly wouldn't have any shortage of toys or socks… Milo was lying back on the couch by me, he was very quiet. I tried to pry into his mind, but he shut me out before I could get in. He was definitely my brother though.

"Why did you leave when my friends went to find our parents?" I asked as I stood up and started working with my Bo, I was rusty.

"I thought it was a good time as any to leave." He had this apathetic view of the world and it pissed me off. He didn't even want to hold his niece or nephew. I would not accept that he didn't care that much.

"Fine." He wouldn't answer any more of my questions anyway.

His short whiskers tickled my cheek when he kissed it. I yawned and looked up at him. Francis needed to shave, he hadn't since the babies were born. He took Robin out of my arms and put her back into her crib. I stood up and popped my back. He touched my arm, and then I realized that he was fully dressed to go out on a mission. I sighed. No one even asked me if I wanted to go. It's like after I had the babies, I wasn't part of the X-men or the Next Avengers. I was just the new mom. I peeled off my shirt and turned on the shower. He looked at me sadly.

_Where are you going?_ I was too tired to speak.

**_S.H.E.I.L.D. is on the move, and we need to tell them that they can't take away the rights of superheroes. Fury's been mutinied._**

_Okay. How long will you be gone?_

_**I don't know. Everyone except James and a handful of the older X-men. **_

****_Fun. _I tossed some dirty baby clothes out onto the bed. I pulled off the rest of my clothes and jumped in the shower.

**_Don't be mad. _**His voice was sad.

_I'm not mad. I'm just tired. _The hot water felt really great.

**_When I get back, how about we both have Torunn look after the monkeys and we can have some time to ourselves. _**He sent me some very x-rated memories.

"That's a very good I idea. Can you toss me a towel?" He tossed one over the curtain.

"Why won't you just let me see you naked?" He reached for the plastic curtain and I stepped out in my towel.

"I just had twins three weeks ago. I don't even want to see my body." He picked me up and nuzzled my neck. I laughed and pulled him up in the air with me. Ms. Marvel's powers were always on tap. I heard a baby's cry and dropped back down.

"I can get him," he went to the nursery.

"How'd you know it was EJ?" He was changing our son. The viewing screens I had installed were showing pictures of a bright sunny day in the country. I wanted my children to know what the world looked like better than I had in Ultron City.

"He always needs changed at this time." He kissed his son's fluffy hair and held him. I pulled my gloves on and touched his head. Benji still had no idea what would happen if I touched them. I took him while Francis picked up Robin. He had a super soft spot for both of them. We had two beautiful children. Now all we needed was a home of our own; or at least a life where he didn't always have to run out to save the world. We put the babies back down and kissed each other. We sent emotions to each other, but we never once thought about the possibilities of his demise. I was always scared he would get hurt without me there, but he, along with everyone else, didn't want me to leave the babies.

"You're a very great daddy." He shrugged and picked up his bow. I would miss him.

"Thanks, but you're the one they love." He kissed me one last time and left to go be a hero.

"Those were the good old days…" I picked up the baby clothes I needed to wash along with Francis's clothes.

"Hush little baby, don't say a word momma's gonna buy you a mockingbird," Robin had a little smile, like she knew that her grandmother's name was mockingbird, but that's impossible. I bounced her up and down, trying to make EJ stop screaming. He hadn't stopped since dinnertime. I was walking back and forth through the entire apartment trying to get him to calm down and go to bed. Robin was just watching, amused. I was running out of songs to sing for him. I laid him down in the middle of my bed and grabbed some pajamas. He screamed and cried and then I felt it. I wanted to play Where's Baby? I looked at EJ,

"Oh no…" I walked back over to him and covered my eyes. "Where's baby?" EJ hiccupped. And stopped crying… I uncovered my eyes and smiled. "There he is!" He stopped crying. I felt elation; EJ's elation. I picked him up and put him back in bed so he could sleep. Robin burbled and spit up on her onezie. I picked her up and changed her. It was a never ending loop of baby now. Everything I did was for the babies. I don't even remember the last time I slept for more than an hour at a time. I turned on the music disk of soothing music with my telekinesis. My powers even make me tired now. I sat down in the rocking chair. Not even moving it. I was alone here; it turns out all the X-men went on the mission. I was worried about them; they were in the belly of the beast by now. The silence was deafening.

...

Reveiw... is everything


	25. Chapter 25: In Which There is a Reunion

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR THE REVEIWS! You have no idea how much they mean to me!

I know part of this was last chapter, but I re-read it and added some more to make this worth posting.

I hooked the baby monitor to my belt and walked to the training room. I was working on getting better with different weapons, if they didn't think I could get out in the field, I would show them how much of an asset I am.

The computer turned on as I walked in.

_ Hello Ms. LeBeau, which program would you care to use this evening? _

"LeBeau133alpha2," the holographic wall shimmered for a second and were replaced with Ultroncity's before the Next Avengers saved it. A pack of dirty ran-sackers circled around me.

"Boys, you shouldn't do this," I flipped out my Bo. I flipped it around and clipped one of them in the temple. The rest was easy from there.

I was on top of a skyscraper battling some faceless villain with a pair of sai, my newest weapon, when one of the babies started to cry, I didn't think I had been fighting for that long.

"Computer, pause and save program for a later date," the images shimmered and went away, I ran back to my room to care for my babies.

"Hush little baby, don't say a word momma's gonna buy you a mockingbird," Robin had a little smile, like she knew that her grandmother's name was Mockingbird, but that's impossible. I bounced EJ up and down, trying to make him stop screaming. He hadn't since dinnertime. I was walking back and forth through the entire apartment trying to get him to calm down and go to bed. Robin was just watching, amused from her crib, she couldn't hold herself up yet, but she kept her blue-green eyes locked on mine. I was running out of songs to sing for him. I laid him down in the middle of my bed and grabbed some pajamas, I might as well be comfortable. He screamed and cried and then I felt it. I wanted to play Where's Baby? I looked at EJ,

"Oh no…" I walked back over to him and covered my eyes. "Where's baby?" EJ hiccupped. And stopped crying… I uncovered my eyes and smiled. "There he is!" He stopped crying. I felt elation- EJ's elation. I didn't know what that was, I didn't mean to read his mind, I didn't think I even did it, could this little baby have projected his thoughts to me? No, that's impossible, it was just my subconscious manifesting itself into basic thoughts.

I picked him up and put him back in bed so he could sleep. Robin burbled and spit up on her onezie. I picked her up and changed her. It was a never ending loop of baby now. Everything I did was for the babies. I don't even remember the last time I slept for more than an hour at a time. I turned on a disk of soothing music with my telekinesis. Using my powers even made me tired now. I sat down in the rocking chair. Not even bothering to rock it. It turns out all the X-men went on the mission. I was worried about them; they were in the belly of the beast by now. I was pretty much alone and the silence was deafening.

I was making a batch of formula to feed the babies. They were lying on their play mat in the living room. I had turned on some music to fill the quiet space. After having a bunker full of people, being left alone with two babies was a very big change.

I heard my computer tablet beep and I tapped it on. My friend's faces filled the screen; everyone was trying to get into the view of the camera. They had scratches and bruises that had been patched up, but everyone looked intact.

"Hey! How'd it go?" By their smiles, I knew they had succeeded in telling S.H.E.I.L.D. how it was going to be.

There was a chorus of hoots and hollers. My eyes darted from face to face.

"Where's Francis?" No one would meet my eyes. "Where is he!" I heard a door slam, but where was Francis. James rubbed his newly healed arm.

"Best-Friend Mattie…" Torunn looked straight into the camera. Someone touched my shoulder, I spun around and kidney punched him.

"Oof!" Francis curled over and held his stomach.

"Shit!" I unconsciously apologized to him in his mind. He held up a hand in forgiveness. When he straightened up and his dark brown eye met mine, I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him like there was no tomorrow, because, I didn't know then, but there wouldn't be.

duh duh duuuuuuuuuuuhhhhh!

Read and reveiw!


	26. Chapter 26: In Which There is a Fight

**So sorry it took so long, I haven't been working on it very much. **

One of the babies was crying, I pulled the sheet around me and got up; I popped my back and walked into the nursery. Robin was blinking awake and EJ was hungry, I grabbed one of the bottles I had mixed up for moments like this. I tied the sheet around me and wrapped him in a blanket, I still didn't know what would happen if I touched them bare-handed. Francis stood in the door way wearing a smirk and a crumpled pair of boxers he had found on the floor.

I'll leave you to your imagination on what we did last night… a few times, well… actually more than a few…

"He's fussy, is that normal?" I asked him. He shrugged and pulled out the reference computer tablet Benji had left for us, I never really looked at it; Francis kept reading it over and over.

"Nothing in here says anything." I took the bottle out of EJ's mouth and made him take a breath. He made a pouty face so I let him finish it off. Francis took him from me to burp him. So this is what happens to superheros? We have a couple of kids on accident and now we're burping and cleaning and not sleeping instead of defending the Earth?

Not that I don't love my babies, it's just, I don't know, I really wish I could feel like more than a nanny.

I really wish I could kiss my babies without fear.

"I can't believe we've had three days of that." Francis said, out of breath. I nodded and wiped the sweat off of my brow. He pulled out another arrow and shot the bad guy's knee.

Wait a second. What did _you_ think we were doing?

"Computer, pause program." The baddies stopped and I looked at him.

"What?" He pulled his bow over his shoulder.

"Do you still want to get married?" He kinda shrugged and made hmmm and hum sounds.

"Maybe… I don't know though," he joked. I swatted at his shoulder.

"Be serious," Francis wrapped his arms around me and hitched my leg up so it wrapped around his thigh.

"Of course, we can be one big happy family." He kissed me.

_"Avengers and X-men landing," _The computer said. We grabbed the babies' bassinets. I was expecting the guys to all come in laughing and smiling, there would be hugs and the babies would be fawned over some more. The doors opened and Francis and my smiles disappeared. The people who staggered in were not my usual happy friends.

"What happened." Bobbi was crying silently. Francis hugged her, James looked like he was about to explode with anger.

"Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Black Panther." Torunn said solemnly.

"Dead?" I whispered.

"No, they are trapped, by S.H.E.I.L.D. they ambushed us, with some sort of nero-repressors, we couldn't fight back." Benji told me.

"Well we need to go get them!"

"They made it so we couldn't get anywhere near the prison where they are being kept without setting off the alarms. There are probes in our backs that we can't dig out; we'll need to find a way to get those out first."

"But Francis and I aren't tagged, couldn't we go?" I heard a mean laugh come from my brother.

"You and your little baby daddy against the entire force of S.H.E.I.L.D. you wouldn't have a chance." I walked up to him and slapped him across the face.

"I don't know what your deal is with me, Milo, I am your _sister_, so get over that, I know we don't know each other very well, but you need to get your head out of your ass and show me some common respect." He rubbed his cheek and just glared at me. My parents tried to stop the fight but I turned around I felt something sear into my back. He had thrown a kinetically charged card at me. I flipped around and channeled the power of Ms. Marvel and grabbed my brother and flew him up to the rafters.

I heard Benji mumbled darkly, "Shit just got real." I dropped Milo and he didn't even try to break his fall. I mentally froze him and flew to his level.

"Do you have something to say? Never forget that I am more powerful than you, and I could kill you or worse if you are not careful."

He just shrugged and i let him fall onto the couch, I wasn't mean enough to drop him on the concret floor.

"This is just a scouting mission, remember, kid." Wolverine said as he loaded my utility belt with weapons. He leaned closer so that only I could hear. "I wouldn't usually say this, but you need to show 'em the fire. Bring out the Phoenix, if ya can, that'll really put a burr up Hill's ass." I nodded. Francis was testing a new arrow he had developed.

"You ready?" He asked.

"It's a little too late now to say no." I touched my children's faces and Francis kissed their heads. Torunn looked into my eyes and nodded. She knew what she had to do in case something horrible happened to us. I didn't feel like I was 17 anymore, I felt like I had been long grown up. I had to worry about saving superheroes and my children.

"Be safe," my parents told me.

"I'll be back before you know it." Francis and I got into the little aircraft and took off.


	27. Chapter 27: In Which Mattie is a Hero

_Six Days Later,_

I was screaming, but my body was paralyzed. The S.H.E.I.L.D. medical staff was trying to stop the power of the Phoenix, I could blaze hotter and brighter than the biggest star, but I couldn't move my body and iota.

"Mattie! Stop fighting the medics, they are only trying to help you." Agent Hill yelled through the intercom. I moved my eyes so that an optic beam melted the camera and speaker. I couldn't hold this amount of power up for much longer. I passed out from exhaustion.

I could feel my fingers again. I could wiggle my toes. I groggily blinked my eyes open. I was still in the hellicarrier. I thrashed weakly against my binds. Agent Maria Hill walked in clad in some sort of S.H.E.I.L.D. issued get-up that, I think, they thought would protect against my powers. I was too weak to try to use anything against her any way.

"How are you feeling?" She asked not unkindly.

"Why are you keeping me here? Where's Francis, Clint, and Steve?"

"We just want to make the world safer; superheroes are unreliable so I'm making my own." I was testing my bonds slightly; I was gaining my strength quickly, thank God for Wolverine's regenerative power.

"And what do you want from me? I remember, quite vividly, you telling me I was just… what was the phrase? Ah, yes, 'another annoying fan-girl'." She smiled maliciously.

"Oh, you're powers are very interesting… I just need some of your DNA to make my own army of power-manipulating, super-strong, super-smart super-soliders."

"Hill, throw a few more s's in there and you'll sound like the snake you are."

"Har har… Witty as ever, now just let me get your blood."

"Now tell me, did you build this bed before or after you analyzed my powers?" Her brow furrowed and then he eyes grew very large, I saw her reach for her radio but I crushed it with my mind and used the strength of She-Hulk to tear out of the bed and through the metal walls of the carrier. I was using the phasing powers of Shadowcat to run through all the rooms. I knew now to watch out for the little fly-like nero-represors and I had a force-field up around me to protect against everything else. I stopped at the prison block. Captain America and Hawkeye stood up when I stopped in front of their cell.

"Mattie?"

"Ya, no time for chit-chat, do you trust me?" I asked them as I used my techno-kinesis to screw up the technology in the room, frying the force-field generators to protect the cells and put up one of my own to protect the two classic heroes. I was becoming tired, but I need to push through it.

"Yes." They said in unity. I grabbed their wrists and Bamfed them out of the hellicarrier. We free-fell for a few moments I made sure that they were safe in the thick forests on the ground before I sent myself back into the belly of the beast. This time they'd be prepared for me to find Francis. This time I need to summon all the different powers of every superhero I knew about or had the ability to mimic or duplicate.

This time, I would show myself to be the Omega Mutant I am.

**Sorry it's so short, I thought this would be a good place to drop off, for now. I promise to have more up in a week or so! And it'll be epic, just wait, i may want to bring in the Frankenstein Monster element... There will be more superheroes ;) **


	28. Chapter 28: In Which Fires Burn Bright

I was so tired, but I had to get Black Widow, Black Panther, and Francis. I would persevere. S.H.E.I.L.D. agents tried to block me but I just put up a shield that no weapon could penetrate. I just took my time, phasing through the walls, I collected the two classic avengers and left them with Cap and Hawkeye.

It was too easy to get those four, where was Francis.

_Francis? _I scanned with my mind, I picked up his mind but it was like static… like dead air quiet…

"Mattie, stop right now, I'm asking you to help your country, and I won't hurt you, your family, or your children." Hill said as she stood in front of me, some alien weapon that didn't scare me.

I cocked my head slightly and smiled maliciously, the Phoenix was taking over. "Agent Hill, do you know what happens to a human who is subjected to heat that could possibly be as hot, if not hotter, than the sun?"

She was afraid of me. I felt it; I lapped up her utter terror with joy. I would mess with her while I tried to find exactly where Francis was. I dropped my field for a nanosecond and launched flames at Maria Hill, but then pulled them back to me and burned bright white, so nothing could have passed through the sphere of fire without being incinerated. Never have I felt more alive, more powerful… I could burn the entire ship to smelted metal. I was the Phoenix… No one could take that from me. I would consume the world in flames. I would- wait, what was I thinking? What was going on? I needed to find Francis, he would be safe with me. I looked at agent Hill. She was shaking and leaning on the wall for support. I didn't hate this woman, I hated what she was doing. Why would I kill her?

"Where is Francis?" She shakily met my gaze.

"Medical bay, stasis pod 4c." I heard the thundering of boots.

"Call off the attack, this is over."

"It's too late." She said sadly.

I didn't have time to decipher that. I need to find my future husband, the father of my children.

I was too late.

**It's small, I just need to gather my thoughts on how to proceed, any suggestions?**


	29. Chapter 29: In Which The World Ends

He was cold and still, not lifeless, just in cryostasis. I had soldered the doors so no one could get in. I called Benji.

"Mattie!? Why are you calling me?"

"They put Francis on ice, what do I do?"

"I have no idea." He was freaking out; I heard voices in the background and people scrambling around. The ceiling caved in and I put a shield around Francis and I. A suit of red and Gold armor stood in front of me, leaving a jagged hole in the ceiling.

"_Mattie? You've certainly grown." _

"Tony? I need your help." He slid up the mask on his suit and I scanned his mind to double check his identity, it was really him.

"Of course, that's why I came here, but I thought I'd get to save me friends, too. But you just had to take over that job." He went over to the control panel and plugged in a hacking device.

"Is he dead?"

"No, just comatose. He should be up in three… two…"

Francis bolted up and screamed. He held onto his head and started breathing irractivaley.

"Francis? Are you okay?" He looked at me with this horribly blank look in his eyes.

I scanned his brain. It was the same, except he had no memory of me, or our children. Most of his memories were intact, just smoothed over where I used to be.

"S.H.E.I.L.D. did this." The wall started to turn gold and then red, they were going to melt through the wall. I grabbed Francis's arm and Tony and I flew out of the hellicarrier.

We landed with the other and then I thought maybe Francis's memory had just taken some time to come back. I hugged him and then I kissed him with a fiery passion left over from the Phoenix power.

I pulled away and searched his eyes, I heard Hawkeye laugh and say, "Just like teenagers." But Francis backed away from me and muttered the worst question in the world, it just near broke me heart.

"Do I know you?"


	30. Chapter 30:In Which there are Pictures

_The next day,_

We were back with our families, well in body, not in mind. Francis remembered everyone except our babies and me. Now I was sitting in my bed, knees drawn up to my chin, trying so hard not to cry, Torunn was watching the babies with my parents, Benji was trying to figure out how to restore Francis's memories, but I didn't know if they _could_ be restored. There was a soft knock at my door, it was James, I knew his mind well enough to not have to scan it.

_Come in._

He walked in carrying a tray with a big bowl and glass of chocolate milk.

"Hey," he sat the tray in front of me, the bowl was filled with mac 'n' cheese and fish sticks lying on top.

"Thanks." I picked at the once-delicious food.

He pushed the tray out of the way and hugged me; that was when I cried. I soaked the front of his t-shirt in tears. He smoothed down my hair and rocked me back and forth softly, soothing my broken heart.

"I'm going to kill every last S.H.E.I.L.D. agent. Turn them into ash for what they did to me, to my babies."

He didn't say anything, just held me tighter.

I put on my green silk gloves and picked up Bobbi, she was growing so fast, my little baby girl. E.J. started to cry so I picked him up, also. I was sitting on the couch, watching some old tv show, not paying attention to anything else. I had been a week and Francis was avoiding me, just as well. Jubilee and Jean came over and took the babies from me. My children have the most loving, protective family on God's green earth.

I picked up my computer tablet and scrolled through the pictures Francis and I had taken over the past months.

Here was one when we were living in the house in the suburbs where we really gave ourselves to each other. I giggled, Francis was wearing the old owner's orange and green plaid suit with and beat up fedora he was reaching out to me, to show that I was wearing this God-awful dress with 60's mushrooms on it, you could see my arm, pushing him away.

The next picture was him pointing at my belly the first time I got an ultrasound done. Benji had been laughing, because just a moment before, Francis had joked about writing on my stomach '_I made these!'_. Instead, he just made two thumbs up and smiled like an idiot.

The next few pictures made me laugh and I also started crying. They were of my later pregnancy days, when I was gorging myself of junk-food when Benji wasn't looking. There was one of Francis holding up two miniature bows, pink and blue with matching arrows.

"What are you looking at?" Francis was standing behind me. It was a stake to the heart to see him like he always was, yet I knew he had no idea who I was. I twisted the engagement ring on my finger nervously.

"Just some pictures."

"I should know you, I know that much."

"Ya, we knew each other really well."

"Can I look at the pictures with you?"

"Um, sure, I guess."

He sat down next to me and I put the tablet on his lap. He flipped to the next picture; me pulling up my shirt to show my growing belly, for fun, Pim had drawn a little 'loading' bar and had filled it in three quarters of the way and wrote, "75% loaded, be here soon!".

"You had kids? You're so young!" That made me laugh, and I wiped my eyes, I was starting to tear up.

"Ya, my parents were really upset with me." The next picture was of he and I, we were sleeping on the couch, but we were all tangled up trying to hold myself up. My stomach was immense; this was a few days before I had the babies. I don't know who took this picture. Francis' brow furrowed and he moved to the next picture. It was us, holding our children, sitting in the hospital bed in Benji's little Medical Bay, we were kissing, the babies were so pink and new.

"Are those… my kids? Were we like… a couple?"

I felt the tears flow down my face, "Yes. Do you remember at all?" He handed back my tablet and stood up.

"I… I have to go." I stood up to the follow him, but he ran down the hall.

_Why would anyone do this to me, to my children?_


	31. Chapter 31: In Which Lives Change

I was lying awake in bed, the babies were asleep. It was so strange not having Francis here with me in bed. I had repeatedly reached over to touch him in the night and just touched empty air or cold blankets.

I stood up and checked on the babies again. I pulled on my house boots, they were a little big now, but still comfortable. I picked up the baby monitor and went to walk the halls like a pathetic little banshee.

I shuffled along until I heard someone in the film room. It's where most of the three teams watched old footage of the golden days, along with a few family videos.

"_Mattie! Look at the camera!" _I remember this day. I phased through the door and silently stood at the back of the small theater.

On screen it was a video Azari and Pym had made when we were still kids. James had his arms wrapped around me and was pulling me backwards playfully so I had to be in the film shot, but we ended up on the ground laughing and rolling around trying to stand up in the sand of the beach. Torunn was running through the waves gleefully. Pym flew into the picture and stuck his tongue out…

That was the end of that video, the Next Avengers had been called away for another mission.

James pressed the button on the controller and the next video was playing, I heard Francis say something, and James replied, equally quietly.

On screen was a video from Thanksgiving at the Next Avenger Mansion, I'm guessing Pym and Azari had been recording the whole thing when James and Francis started to fight. There it was plain to see that both James and Francis were madly in love with me.

I sat down and watched the show.

The next video was from my pregnancy. Francis was kissing my stomach, and then kept babbling on about what I should be doing because he had been reading all sorts of pregnancy books. I couldn't help but laugh a little when he pulled, "What to expect when you're expecting" out and quoted it to me about something or another. James and Francis turned to look at me. I stood up and left quickly.

"I just don't understand why he doesn't remember just you, I've tested his memories, he know everyone except you and these two little babies. Benji was giving the twins a checkup just to see what was all going on.

He'd been busy, Torunn said that he got all the trackers out of the supers and sent them off somewhere else so that our home wouldn't be found and also he had been studying pediatric medicine for my babies. He's a very impressive guy. Torunn's really lucky.

"Everything looks good!" He tickled E.J.'s foot and the baby grabbed his finger.

"Do you know what will happen if I touch them with my bare skin now? "

"Um, no, I'm so sorry Mattie, I've been so busy with… well everything, it slipped my mind. I'll get right on it!"

I touch Benji's arm, "Don't worry about, you need to stop and take a breath once in a while. Go out with Torunn, you two need a night out on the town."

"She had been dropping major hints about taking a quick trip to asgard…"

"There you go! I better feed these two before they start a riot; I put the babies in their twin bassinet and carried them the kitchen. I let them play around in their playpen while I fixed their milk.

"Hey Mattie," I turned and saw Francis standing in the doorway.

"Hey," I shook the formula in the bottles and picked up Bobbi. She greedily grabbed on and started drinking. E.J. pouted at me and sent me metal picture of his bottle.

I bounced her slightly while I walked back and forth feeding her. Francis stood there awkwardly.

"Can I help you, somehow?" I shrugged. "What do you want me to do?"

_Remember your memories of me._

"Pick him up and feed him a bottle, just the way I am, or else—"

"He gets gassey, I know." My eyes shot up and locked in his.

"How'd you know that?"

"I guess I remember a few things, but nothing specific."

"Do you remember anything else?"

"Not really, sorry."

I didn't say anything.

"I really loved you, before, didn't I?"

"Ya, you did." It was weird talking to him like this.

"I'm sorry this happened to you, I can't understand how this could happen."

"I'm sorry , too, because now my babies will grow up without a father." I pulled Robin's bottle away and burped her.

"Why would they grow up fatherless?" He was very concerned.

"Because you don't love me now, and don't remember anything from our past. It would be cruel to make you care for children you don't remember conceiving with a woman you don't remember falling in love with."

"Who said I don't love you now, I've seen the pictures, watched the videos, listened to the stories. When you kissed me after you saved me from S.H.E.I.L.D, I've never felt so alive. A love like that doesn't just go away with memories."

"Really?"

"Ya. I want you to try something when the Monkeys are done eating."

"Monkeys?"

"Isn't that what I call them?"

"It's just… God I hope you know what you're doing." He just smiled and me. I noticed he was growing a beard and mustache. It was so pale, it was hard to see, but it was there.

My mom and dad walked in, they gauged the tension between Francis and me, and walked in.

"Hello Mr. LeBeau, Rogue." Francis said. My mom gave me a meaningful look, I just held my little girl.

"I think you two should have some time alone." My mother took Robin and the EJ.

"They'll both need changed soon." I told them, even though they already knew.

I sat down at the breakfast table and Francis sat across from me.

_Ready?_

**_Ya, now or never, try to put the memories back into my head._**

I concentrated hard, trying to put every memory I had with Francis back into his mind. I started when I first was brought to the group; his smirk and gaging glance at my filthy, gutter trash self. I went chronologically, just in case they stuck that way. I stopped a quarter of the way through, it really took it out of me to copy, my memories and transfer them into his mind.

"Are you okay?" Francis touched my elbow and I shuddered. It just got cold in the hangar. He pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders. It was a familiar gesture from a person who didn't really know me.

"Did it work?"

"I don't know; ask me a question about something from the past."

I thought for a moment, "What was our first real conversation about?"

His face scrunched up and for a long moment I thought that it hadn't worked at all. "It was about… bad one-hit wonders... right?"

I stood up and pulled him up with me. I looked into his eyes and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around me and I felt like I was kissing _my_ Francis again for the first time in weeks.

_Sit down and I'll give you the rest of them._

**_I can't wait. I want to know everything about you… again._**

_Relax, we're going to be here for a while._

**Did I scare ya'll off? No one has commented, did I throw the wrong curveball?**


	32. Chapter 32: Mini-heart attack Moment

We were in bed together. His breathing was labored and mine wasn't regular either. It was great that his memories were back. Word had spread quickly that I had fixed his lost memories. He kissed me one more time. We went to sleep without having to worry about babies, S.H.E.I.L.D., or even laundry.

"What the hell happened last night?" Francis scrambled away from me. I rolled over and looked at him, naked, flipping out; not really awake.

"We… did it…?" I sat up and held the sheet up around myself.

"What?" He was searching around the floor to find his clothes. I sat up, _did he not remember me again?_

"What's wrong, you have to remember who I am! I thought I fixed this." I half-scrambled, half-slipped out of bed and stood up in front of him. I scanned his mind, but he was blocking me out, for the first time ever. He had an arm full of his clothes and glanced into my eyes. "Why are you blocking me out?" He looked away. "Do you really not know me again?"

**What do you think is going to end up happening? Do you want to punch S.H.E.I.L.D. in their face? Tell me! I want a lot of comments on this mini-chapter. **


	33. Chapter 33: In Which a Plan is Hatched

**SORRY! I've had the worst case of writers block for this story ever! Sorry, now that it's summer I'll be posting more True Believers! Thanks!**

He couldn't hold back his evil smile. I smacked his shoulder and he winced.

"You can't do that to me!" I hugged him, he laughed and squeezed me.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it." I stroked his whiskers and kissed him.

I pulled him into the bathroom and we took a shower together.

We came to breakfast late, and everyone gave us this knowing look. I blushed and sat down to eat some oatmeal. My mom was playing with the babies, they were growing so fast! Francis laughed with his friends and James was yelling something down at him. I felt this weird tingling sensation in the back of my head. Like a spider sense, or a telephone ringing, I looked around and I saw Pym staring me straight in the eye. I stood up and he flew over to me.

"We need to talk." I walked with him out on the landing pad, the wind was blowing fiercely and it whipped my hair back and forth.

"What is it, Pym?" He ran his fingers through his hair nervously.

"They know about you," he meant shield.

"No, they know about you and Francis, and the babies, they know you're a mom, they know that the babies already exhibit mutant abilities and they want to test them." I shook my head.

"Is that why they took Francis's memories? Do they know where we are?"

"Yes. I intercepted a transmission last night and it talked about all the places they were going to look for us at."

"Where can we go? Or will we stay and fight?"

"Tony is working on setting us up a space station."

"How long will that take?"

"It's not the building part that will be difficult, he's got hundreds in space already, it's the getting everyone on one that will be difficult."

"How long until shield gets here?"

"A couple of weeks, at most." He shook his head. I pulled him to me and hugged him.

"Have you told the others?"

"I am, when we go back in, I just needed to tell you first, because they are after Robin and EJ. I nodded and hugged him closer. He was still the youngest member of the team, and now he had to drop this bomb.

"Well we need to get moving, right?"

"Yeah." We walked back in and Pym told everyone the news, they were silent for a minute.

"We fight." Torunn said, she didn't do her warrior princess of Asgard voice, she just said it matter of factly.

"We can't go runnin' inta space every time there's a hiccup. You young'uns fought to take Earth back for the humans, and we have every right to stay here." Logan said, he slammed his fist on the table.

"We fight." I nodded. I had a plan.


	34. Chapter 34: The Phoenix Burns

I held my babies close, I kissed them on the head, tonight may be the last night I see them. Shield was close; they would be here by day break. We had spent the last few weeks preparing for the battle for our lives. Francis was tightening the tips on his arrows. I pushed his shaggy hair out of his eyes and kissed him, I flooded his mind with the good emotions running through my thoughts. He wrapped his arms around me.

"If we die tomorrow…" He started, I touched his face, "If something happens tomorrow, I want you to know, I only have one regret." I furrowed my brow. "I regret not having longer to call you my wife."

We had gotten married, rings, ceremony, everything, just three days earlier. My mother had cried, and so had Bobbi. I had never loved another person as much as I did Francis. He and I could face the world and win together, and now we had this amazing family of X-men and Avengers, no one could ever stop us.

I pulled the zipper closed on his vest, "Don't talk like that." I hugged him again.

I walked out to find James and Pym, they were going to be part of my plan. I found them in the computer lab, both were typing furiously, trying to put the final touches on the external security measures. Tony had brought back some Shiar technology that could ostensibly put the Hellicarrier dead in the air; they wouldn't be able to shoot, or move for that matter. That would help, but the problem was that Pym had scanned that there was an entire fleet of smaller ships flying in too. We would defend with our own ships, but there wasn't enough for everyone to have one, so we would have a wave of ships and then we would bring them to the ground.

But enough of strategy; I hugged James. He didn't want to let go. He had been the Best Man at my wedding' we were forever family now and forever. Pym hugged me and I felt his determination.

"Pym, I need you to do something for me." I sat down with him. "James, you'll need to help him." I laid out my plan for them.

It was utter silence on the landing pad. I hugged Benji and the others, everyone was silent. We knew what we were up for, we knew what we needed to do, but… we didn't know how it would end. I took a deep breath. At the end of this day I would most likely be dead or captured, but my babies would be safe. I knew how this would end.

I saw the first little black dots speeding towards us; the fastest ships would come first. I jumped into the air hovering above my family with the others who could. My mother looked over at me and nodded, I looked to Torunn and she did the same. Pym was inside, watching the babies and manning the guns. I took a deep breath and flipped through all the powers I could use at once. I held up my hands and trapped one of the five ships in a force field. They were unmanned; smart. I mimed crushing a piece of paper and the ship turned into a crumpled metal ball. I pantomimed throwing a baseball and the ship sailed through the air and crashed into the next wave of ships. It only took out a few. Scott used his eye beam and that helped melt a few of them. We were fighting, there were beams of light shooting through the air, I heard a few screams, but I was mostly deaf, waiting for the climactic moment. The moment Maria Hill showed up so I could burn her dreams in front of her eyes. I waited until I was in front of the others, I looked at to make sure that the planes were in the right position. I spread my arms and created a flaming dome over my home and family, they wouldn't be able to get through. I looked at the coming storm of ships that darkened the horizon. I took a deep breath and broadcast my thoughts into the technology of the Hellicarrier.

_"Hello Maria Hill."_

She spoke over the speakers. "Mattie, just give yourself up, we just want to make the world a better place! We could use your powers and give you the life you've always wanted, you can live happily ever after with your family."

"_I will watch you burn, you will burn, because you will not stop this, until you are dead. I know that there are only a handful of people who stayed on the ship after the super soldier program came into the light; 21 to be exact, including you."_

"The world can't depend on super heroes. They all disappeared when Ultron ruled. We need a backup plan."

"_You need nothing, Hill_."

"Your children are special, aren't they, Mattie? EJ and Bobbi?"

"_Stay the hell away from my kids." _

The power I had been controlling for almost a year we finally released.

_"I am power incarnate, I am life, I am destruction, I am the beginning and the end. You will burn, Maria Hill, for atrocities committed against the superhuman race. You and your followers will burn and never plague my family again, we will forever be protected. I have one final question; are you ready to die?"_

_3__rd__ person description:_

**_ Mattie closed her eyes, she was burning, The Phoenix fire burned fiercely around her. The loose tendrils of flames compacted and as like a supernova, this period of calm was followed by and explosion of fire, a giant phoenix swallowed her body and this entity soared through the air, burning everything in its path. Francis dropped his bow and pressed his hands up against the shield Mattie had implemented, everyone was trying different ways to get through. The air was on fire. Mattie had burned the entire fleet down in a matter of seconds. All that was left were smoldering tree tops and molten metal. _**

**_ If this was a movie, the song _****Young and Beautiful ****_by Lana Del Ray would be playing and you wouldn't be able to hear Francis screaming, you would see the tears slowly fall from the eyes of her friends and family. The flames were dying down, but that meant that Mattie would fall from her spot high the sky, and she hadn't had the decency to drop the force field. Kitty told everyone to grab ahold of her and she would phase them all through. Rogue and Torunn try to fly up to Mattie's hovering body, but the Phoenix force is too strong and they are stuck. _**

**_ Everyone can see that the Phoenix Force is wrapping Mattie's body in a green and gold uniform. And she walks through the air, down to her family, but this is not the same Mattie that was here this morning; she is the Phoenix, she is glowing full of power. Francis tries to run to her, but James holds him back:_**

**_ "Not yet." He says. _**

**_ "_**_X-men, Avengers, you and I have met before, under varying degrees of aggression. Jean Grey, it is a pleasure to see you again__**." **_**_Jean nods to the Phoenix. "_**_Your planet had been a wasteland, I was about to burn it when you" _**_She points at the Young Avengers,_**_"Saved it. This body is strong, stronger than any other before. She is special, she fought me and won, she birthed children and they will grow up to be some of the best humans to walk the earth. Take care of them, Francis Barton, they will love you unconditionally." _**_He looked down at the ground, he was a 17 year old and his wife was dying_**_. "Everyone, all your love will bring back the one you all love. I cannot say it often, but I will never be back to this planet, if you all teach the future about good and evil, is that understood?" _**_The fire was fluttering in Mattie's eyes._**_ "Take care of Mattie, she is great, she has saved this world and beaten the Phoenix__**." **_**_And in a flash, the Phoenix swoops in the air, leaving Mattie to fall slowly to the ground. _**

**_James catches her and lowers her to the ground._**

**_"Is she…?" Francis kneeled beside her, paralyzed. _**

**_"Remember how we saved Jean?" Scott said quietly. "Everyone, circle around her." They silently formed rings around Mattie's lifeless body. Francis, James, Torunn, Rogue, Gambit, Milo, Pym, Aze, Benji all put their hand on her, and everyone else put their hand on them, and so on and so forth. Blue energy pulsed through and into Mattie's body, when the flow of blue light stopped, no one breathed, they were waiting for something, some sign she would be okay. _**

**Thank you, it has been an honor writing this story for you fine folks, I'm sorry I took so long, I'm sorry this is how it ended. **

_**Goodbye John...**_

_**LOL just kidding, my Sherlock reference aside, this really isn't the end, I just wanted to give whoever reads my little notes to have a massive mini heart attack . sorry. This isn't how Mattie and Francis and The rest of the gang are left, I could never do that.**_


	35. Chapter 35: In Which Milo Finally Speaks

Part Two: Omega

I never knew dying could be so easy.

But I never knew coming back to life would be so painful

…

The machines were beeping and buzzing I had oxygen tubes in my nose and a pulse monitor on the wrist. I was in the infirmary. I opened my eyes and was blinded by the fierce fluorescent bulbs. I couldn't speak. There was a dome over my forehead, scanning my brain activity. I was alone in the infirmary. I pushed the cerebral scanner away and pulled off the wires they had attached to me. I was in a hospital gown, I wrapped a blanket around my shoulders and stood up just as the doors whooshed open, and in flooded my family.

"You set off the alarms! We thought you were going." They hugged me and Francis kissed me, and everyone hugged me again. I stopped smiling.

"Where's the babies?"

"Right here." James walked in and they were wriggling around in his arms like little wiggle worms. I ran to him and took them both up and kissed them. EJ was sending pictures of what he had done today and what he wanted, and what he had dreamed of during his nap. Baby Bobbie just smiled and smiled. I hugged them and turned back around to my family.

"What happened? During the fight?" Mom took the babies from me.

"Milo, I think you should talk to your sister." My elusive brother stepped out of the shadows.

"Put on some decent clothes, we're going to have a talk." I was handed a jacket and pair of jeans. Milo walked me out onto the landing bay."You no longer possess the phoenix force."

"How do you know that?"

"It told us. It said that because of you, because of what we all stand for and if we teach the future to stand for the same morals and principles that it will never come to earth again."

"It was speaking to you, you guys had like an actual conversation with the Phoenix, while I was just a possessed person?"

"Pretty much. It was weird for all of us."

"I died, I know I did, how'd I come back to life?"

"You sucked a little life force from everyone in the group."

"Really?"

"You should understand I'm speaking the truth so stop asking questions like that."

"Fine, tell me what happened."

"Well, the force told us that us that your children would be great, if you and The Hawk were here to take care of them." He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, his jacket looked like our father's and mine, we really needed to branch out our costume designs.

"Why are you the one telling me all this?" I still didn't trust him

"I've realized over the past few weeks that you are my sister, I am the uncle to your kids, and that I need to stop being a spoiled angsty teenager I have been. You've showed me that I've had it fairly easy with mom and dad. You've become a super hero and part of the greatest superhero roster of all time. In case you missed it, you freaking burned SHEILD single handedly, all while dealing with the fact you have two young kids and knew husband. You're so much stronger than I've ever been; I've just needed a swift kick to the ass to see it. I'm sorry the way I've treated you in the past."

I hugged him, the first time in 17 years I hugged my brother.

"Thank you, Milo." I hugged him again and laughed; after being a single twin, I finally had my brother.


	36. Chapter 36: In Which A Photo Taken

Francis was kissing my collar bone, he was pulling my shirt over to kiss my shoulder; we were sitting outside of our house. _Our house. _It felt so good to say it.

I kissed him and stood up, "Down boy, we've just moved in, I want a shower and a hot meal before the party starts."

"Fine," he groaned.

We had moved into the house in the subdivision that Francis and I had lived in while we waited for the others when I got pregnant. Most of our group had moved into the surrounding houses. Of course some of the x-men didn't want to be tied down just yet, so they left to be nomadic crime fighters once again. Tonight we were hosting a cookout for everyone, Francis wanted us to just go away for a while, I had actually died again just a few weeks ago, but I didn't want to leave the babies, and I was getting along so swimmingly with Milo now. I promised him that we'd get some time to ourselves soon, but this party was a big deal.

He went to fire up the grill to start cooking. I checked on the babies and took a shower.

I was wearing a fluttery sundress, and the babies were holding onto my hands, they were walking, shakily, but steadily now, wearing little chuck taylor sneakers. They were growing up so fast. EJ had my curly brown hair and Bobbi's was long and almost white it was so blonde.

"There are the two monkeys." Francis swooped over and grabbed them both up.

I saw my family filling in at the tables I had set up around the pool. There were paper lanterns strung up and I saw James walk in alone. I sighed.

Benji was talking to Thor, and then the god clapped the boy of his shoulder and crushed him in a hug.

Torunn had said that he was asking for her hand in marriage. I smiled, there was going to be a lot of celebration tonight. Pym was looking at his phone and nervously tapping his foot; the girl he had met all that time ago, way back at Young Avenger's mansion. She walked through the gate, and she looked like the exact opposite of Pym, all dark and black leather; but whatever he loved. Azari had quietly started talking to a younger mutant; her name was Idie, maybe? I had never talked to her before. James stood awkwardly by the tables. I sighed and walked to him.

"Hey, James."

"Hey Mattie, you look nice."

"Thanks. Why aren't you mingling?" I gestured around to the crowd of people.

"I dunno, I'm not really in the partying mood."

"But there is a whole bunch of new people, good guys from SHEILD, mutants, and humans." We had invited everyone. He looked around. I saw his eyes catch on a girl with long red ringlets and shimmery skin, a mutant. "Go get her, stud muffin." I pushed him in her direction and went back to the babies. EJ had climbed onto Francis's head and wrapped his chubby arms around his daddy's face, laughing his head off. Bobbi was smiling and holding onto his leg.

"A little help?" Francis asked me. I pulled off my son and he picked up his daughter.

"Hey!" My dad walked over, holding a camera. "Smile!" I squeezed close to Francis and smiled as our family picture was taken.

Bobbi stumbled over to her grandpa and he tossed her up in the air repeatedly, most mothers would be worried, but I trusted my dad, and I was also kind of a superhero, so I could keep an eye on her. I heard someone yell for the Young Avengers to take a picture together, my friends and I situated ourselves on the steps of the deck; we had grown our roster now included Benji, Milo and I,

We had grown emotionally, physically, in every possible way we had grown.

We had grown up, I had started my family, Torunn was getting married, all my friends were in relationships, or close to finding a special someone. My children were growing. They were powerful mutants, but with a family like this, I knew they would grow up to be the bright future of tomorrow, just as the Phoenix had prophesized, but they wouldn't do it alone, we are the present, and we are creating the future, one step at a time.

_ And there came a day, a day unlike any other, when Earth's mightiest heroes and the Uncanny X-men found themselves victorious against their common threat. One that day, they came to realize that the world was safe, for now, and they would start their own lives, they would stand together against all evil and raise their children to do the same, the world would be safe from harm. That was the day that a new chapter began in human history, it was the day where there were no more secret identities, there was no more hiding for superheroes. It was a time of peace._

**_Thank you for reading, thank you for commenting. I don't know if I will continue this series, I feel confident with this story, but I don't know, I had forgotten how much fun it was to get lost in this world, if only for a little while. Excelsior!_**


End file.
